A Guerrilla Gardener In South Central LA: Ron Finley

Ron Finley is a hero of mine. He is on a mission to improve his community’s mental and physical health through local gardening. Community gardening is a concept I have long believed would bring people together in unity by being a contribution to the greater good. Ron Finley is proving this idea to be true. His TED Talk is a source of inspiration I often return to when feeling down about humanity. Making an effort to improve the world, not just for yourself but also for your neighbors, profoundly impacts those around you. We’re always watching each other because it’s part of our mental wiring. One person can make a difference. And when we see this, it gives us permission to do the same. Imagine if just 100 people, or 1,000 others, made the same effort in their communities. Garden on, gangster!

Watch the entire TED Talk for full context, which can be found here.

For more information on this amazing human, Ron Finley, visit his website.

My Favorite 3 Quotes:

“South Central Los Angeles, home of the drive thru and the drive by. Funny thing is, the drive thru’s are killing more people than the drive by’s.”

Ron Finley

“I have witnessed my garden become a tool for the education, a tool for the transformation of my neighborhood.”

Ron Finley

“I see young people, and they want to work, but they’re in this thing where they’re caught up. I see kids of color and they are just on this track, that’s designed for them, that leads them to nowhere. So with gardening, I see an opportunity where we can train these kids to take over their communities, to have a sustainable life. And when we do this, who knows, we might produce the next George Washington Carver?”

Ron Finley

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