Episode 7: Feet to the Fire-Yale Union Organizers Know How

In this episode, The Usable Past with Marie Nahikian connects the 2022 explosion of young bipoc, lgbt, Black and Latino women who are gardeners, food producers, investors & entrepreneurs to the rich history of Philadelphia, “America’s Garden Capital.” Hear a conversation with Blaine Bonham who created Philadelphia Green with the Philadelphia Horticultural Society in 1974;  Kylin Mettler, CEO of  Kylin Arts LLC, a 15 year old landscaping firm, asserts "The landscaping industry was dominated by cis-men, so I take every opportunity to work with and train teams that represent the wider Philadelphia demographic." The Philadelphia Urban Farm Network website lists daily job ads paying $20-$25 an hour. The Philadelphia Horticultural Society's annual flower show grosses millions, and is supporting community leaders like Greg Thompson who directs the Work Same Day Pay initiative, paying formerly incarcerated persons $100 a day to work in gardens. transforming not just vacant lots but lives. Ashley Gripper, a Harvard PHD candidate, helping to write Philly’s first Urban Agriculture Strategic Plan, created Land Based Jawns, a spiritually-rooted organization,  educating and training Black women on agriculture, building, land based living, and safety with a focus on self and community healing. 

The Venture Café conversation, EARTH DAY 2021-Where Are We Now is focused on how the growing levels of bad air, water, fracking and fossil fuel impacts the lives of people who live in Philadelphia & Pennsylvania. This edition is also available on YouTube, here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-VNefFO60A. This session builds on a 2020 Usable Past podcast, Prelude:Earth Day 1970-2020 "that begins with 1970 national conference/protest about looming environmental crisis, a prelude to the first Earth Day and is contrasted with 50 years later witnessing the October 2019 Climate Strike. Includes incidents with Robert O. Anderson, CEO of Atlantic Richfield Oil, Extinction Rebellion, Secretary of Interior Walter Hickel, NY Times columnist Floyd Norris and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist & scientist Laurie Garrett, the Chicago 7/8, Liberation News Service and the Hog Farmers."

Our windows framed Underhill Avenue. We saw everything. Cars lost tires & hubcaps, shots fired, Labor Day eating roti, goat & jerk, Primrose's rum punch, our son dancing in W. Indian Children's parade. Daily commerce centered on a bodega, opened by Mohammed, an immigrant from Yemen; we fondly named it “The Yuck Store.” The other main traders moved product on the sidewalks from Washington Avenue to Underhill.  In 2006, we welcomed “Cheryl’s Global Soul” - a sit-down restaurant. In 2020, it changed again. 

Susan is an aerial artist, dancer and choreographer, an international circus star, a black woman who went to Brooklyn public schools, graduated from Stanford University and worked on the human genome project. Then she went to Paris.  

Over 20 years, Marie Nahikian had distinct and personal experiences within the U.S. Capitol building. This special edition describes how the U.S. Capitol Police were always in control and that it is inconceivable that terrorists were able to breach the building. This edition documents visits for haircuts, gift shop sales and escorting John & Yoko Lennon as well as neighborhood youth to lobby Members of Congress.  

This is an only in Brooklyn story about building community in the most unexpected places. Ellen Dede, the organizer,  has followed Torello Cabrol's water aerobics class for over 20 years; she is joined on the podcast by Bill Kahn,  a newcomer and Marie Nahikian, The Usable Past host who joined the class only 3 years ago. Torello Cabrol talks abut the rules of his class - "move water" and "don't ask questions" - this is your workout. P.J. Ryan, co-host and producer makes the crucial observation - "Why do you do this?" The podcast is about a water aerobics class that includes family, respect and taking care of the only body you have. 

At Yale University, clerical & technical workers organized Local 34 with help from the blue-collar workers in UNITE-Local 35. With strikes in 1984  and 2003, the Yale "non-academic" work force in 2020 is guaranteed working wages, health care and strong retirement benefits. While labor movement lost strength all over the U.S. since the 1980's, after over 40 years, the UNITE Local 34 and Local 35 members have organized an economic justice movement in New Haven, demanding jobs for neighborhood residents and electing Alderman to the City Government and 30+ year long marriages forged during the early organizing years had children who are now union organizers at Yale. 

The 1970 event is viewed as a Prelude to Earth Day, one of the very earliest national environmental protests in February 1970 before Earth Day in April. Marie Nahikian hosts this podcast and was the organizer/conference coordinator. The conference participants were college newspaper editors and was, it turns out a significant organizing strategy as college newspaper across the nation wrote about the environmental crisis and encouraged the participation in Earth Day. Senator Gaylord Nelson, the founder of Earth Day and Dennis Hayes, Director of Earth Day in 1970 both attended the What's the Difference if We Don't Wake Up conference in Washington, DC in 1970. Additional information, notes and conference publications can be found at www.theusablepast.com. 

This episode begins with 1970 national conference/protest about looming environmental crisis, a prelude to the first Earth Day and is contrasted with 50 years later witnessing the October 2019 Climate Strike. Includes incidents with Robert O. Anderson, CEO of Atlantic Richfield Oil,  Extinction Rebellion, Secretary of Interior Walter Hickel, NY Times columnist Floyd Norris and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist & scientist Laurie Garrett, the Chicago 7/8, Liberation News Service and the Hog Farmers.