CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The Obama Presidential Center Roadshow kicked off Saturday at the South Merrill Community Garden in South Shore.
“When we came in here, it was garbage, drug stashes [and] guns,” said Dianne Hodge. “It took us six months to clean it out, and every person that came by, we smiled up and said, ‘Hello, this is your garden.’”
About 100 people listened to Hodge as she explained how she and a group of neighbors reclaimed and transformed a vacant lot 10 years ago. Now, the South Merrill Community Garden is a peaceful and safe community space, where neighbors can get educated and nurtured through gardening, art, and intergenerational social interaction.
Obama Foundation Spokesperson Joshua Harris said this is exactly the inspiration and type of programming that can be expected at the Obama Presidential Center.
“It just took one person to get this started,” Harris said. “As she said in her speech, other people saw her out here, by herself, and they gravitated toward her to learn more about how they can get involved.”
Harris said the presidential center won’t be “an average museum.”
“There’s going to be spaces where you’ll have garden programming, and what we want to do is: When visitors come and visit the center, we want to be able to showcase how they can then go and take action in their own communities here in Chicago and elsewhere,” he said.
In order to provide that programming, Harris said they'll be partnering with local organizations, such as Grow Greater Englewood. The idea, he added, is to “lean on the people who are already doing this work — because they’re the experts.”
At Saturday’s event, each of those who showed up were offered a bag of soil, some seeds, and instructions on how to create and care for potted plants, as well as plants already growing on their property. George Michael, with Grow Greater Englewood, said he hopes people find at least one of his organization’s programs useful and easily replicated.
“[Our] backyard garden programs, where we have a team that builds garden beds in the back of neighbors’ and residents’ houses, so that they can grow their own fruits and vegetables,” he said.
Two more Obama Presidential Center Roadshow events are now planned. Each will focus on different ways to be involved in the community, with tips from local experts.
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