A food justice organization in Oakland, California, is fighting inequality and food deserts while nurturing hope
When Sol Mercado was incarcerated, one of her few sources of comfort was to dig her hands into dirt. Coming from a family of sugarcane and coffee farm workers in Puerto Rico, a love of gardening was in her roots. But it wasn’t until she was in prison and started participating in a gardening program that she truly connected with this part of her heritage.
“It’s a huge coping skill to be working with the soil, planting stuff and seeing it grow,” she said.
