Leah Lee has a mission: To reconnect Black women to farming

“Our ancestors [placed okra] seeds in braids and that’s how they got [to the United States].

By Miya Norfleet
NPR St Louis
Mar 8, 2023

Excerpt:

Urban agriculture is flourishing across the United States and is now a multimillion-dollar industry. Many farms focus on combating food insecurity and providing organic options to communities with few avenues to obtain fresh produce.

For St. Louisan Leah Lee, urban gardening and farming is an act of service.

In 2019, Lee founded Growing Food Growing People at her home in the West End neighborhood. Her goal is to teach others, specifically other Black women, how to build a stronger connection with their agricultural heritage while also learning how to grow their own food.

“I have been blessed enough to turn my backyard into a sanctuary,” Lee told St. Louis on the Air. “It’s a place for women. I show them [they can farm] by doing it.”

Lee’s journey to farming started after the death of her father in 2015. After discovering signs of her late father’s love for gardening, she threw herself into the world of soil and seeds. She participated in farming workshops and community gardens with her children. Eventually, Lee realized she could show others how to grow the same kind of joy she had found.

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