TRH FORUM PRESENTS: PLANTING POWER

Who has the power to decide what a community eats ?

Join us for Planting Power, a hands-on forum exploring food sovereignty, self-sustaining food systems, and the path from consumer to producer. This is an immersive, working conversation where we get our hands in the soil while tackling the hard questions about who controls our food.

TRH is a monthly community forum creating space for honest, action-oriented dialogue on the issues shaping our lives and communities. We believe the people closest to the problems hold the solutions and that real change happens when we move from passive listening to active engagement.

This is Session #4: Food Sovereignty & Self-Sustaining Food Systems.

This 2-hour forum will move from analysis to action through:

Opening Conversation — Real talk about who feeds Atlanta, the impact of immigration enforcement and tariffs on local food systems, and the economic realities farmers face every day.

Working Stations — Get hands-on while engaging in dialogue. Build DIY seed starters from recycled materials, learn composting basics, and plant seeds to take home — all while discussing food hubs, colonial land theft, resource sharing, and how we close the gap between consumer and producer.

Breakout Discussions — Small group conversations on political and economic barriers to food sovereignty, building trust in the farm-to-table pipeline, and creating community-owned food infrastructure.

We're honored to learn from Atlanta-based food sovereignty practitioners who are doing the work every day:

Maurice Small — President of the Atlanta Farmers Coalition, representing 45+ farmers across 30+ farms. Maurice has 25+ years of urban agriculture experience and has launched Atlanta's first CSA Fair, and partnered with the City of Atlanta to create urban agricultural land allotment programs.

Shawn Deangelo ( Everybody Eats Atlanta ) — A faith-based food equity organization transforming Ashview Heights (one of Atlanta's first planned African American communities) into a thriving food ecosystem. Currently building a community-owned cornerstore through their "From Cart to Cornerstore Campaign" and working toward full ownership of a grocer complex.

Jasmine (Healing Hipster Farm) — Owner of an urban educational and market farm. Jasmine teaches organic gardening, herbal wellness, and food as medicine to all ages, bridging science, farming, and healing.

These aren't academics or outsiders — they're farmers, organizers, and educators working to build just, resilient food systems in Atlanta right now.

This forum is for anyone who:

• Is curious about starting to grow food but doesn't know where to begin
• Cares about immigration justice, land sovereignty, and labor rights
• Wants to support local farmers and build community food systems
• Is tired of being just a consumer and wants to participate in food production
• Believes food is medicine and wants to reclaim that knowledge
• Is ready to move from conversation to action

No prior experience needed. Come as you are. Bring your questions, your stories, and your hands.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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