This interview is part of an occasional series showcasing different inspirational community organizers who are part of the NorCal Resilience Network. Meet Keneda Gibson!
Tell us about yourself. How has your background influenced the path you are on today?
I am a 3rd generation Oakland resident. Most of my family has been pushed out from this area. I really see the shift here, the shift away from community. I just didn’t want to be pushed out. I want to be able to manifest the visions I have for this community. I want to find ways to inspire people.
Tell us about your resilience hub, and about your neighborhood projects. What is your vision? What are you excited about?
I’m excited about having turned my yard into a community garden, to help people during the Pandemic, to start with! I worked with Sankofa Garden, and am still working on it. It’s in a bit of a pause right now. We are tearing down structures to provide a space so that people can teach workshops. One friend one wants to teach movement meditation, and others want to teach youth to build their own bikes. We also want to work with students from Castlemont High, have them get service learning credits while they are working in our garden. We’d also love to host story slams, getting people to tell their stories about living in Oakland.
I’m also super interested in integrating art. I want to teach workshops, how to do artivism. I want to be taking over spaces, to be put up murals, and teaching people how to create using wheat paste.
Neighbors aren’t not as interested until things starting to move. But the neighbors with small kids are excited. People walk up to inquire, about the space, and a neighbor up the street is fleshing out ideas about this movement to stop the violence by working with you. If people see that more productive things are happening, there is less time for violence. We want to give kids ideas of things to get into instead of getting into trouble.
What kinds of other projects are you working on to make a difference in your community?
I just got a Fellowship working with East Oakland Collective. We are working on a transportation project, getting people information they need to switch to electric vehicles, and to find financing options for vehicles. We are also bringing free shuttles from the bus stop at 73rd, to the (MLK) Shoreline, to activate the shoreline – to inspire more families from Oakland to use shoreline, and make it more accessible. We are looking at beautifying the shoreline, and creating a park there.
I’m also talking with someone named Red, who will help turn the cellar in the back into an underground growhouse, to grow things underground. This whole process could turn into a series of videos.
Who are some of your biggest inspirations, both historical figures and other changemakers in our community?
My biggest inspiration is simply remaining rooted, if I could show people in community that that can happen. I’m inspired by inspiring people.
I’m also inspired by a group in East Palo Alto called the HoodSquad (run by my friend JT). He created Hood News, which is creating news in the community. He got together with a group of friends, who are donating home cooked meals, and then distributing them. They also create videos about the projects.
What do you do to stay present and refreshed? What kind of self-care do you use so that you are not burned out?
I’m trying to figure out this part! I am periodically taking breaks.
What kinds of advice would you give to other changemakers, who are just getting started?
This work can be daunting sometimes. Fatigue is real, but rewards are great.
I can’t state enough the importance of drinking the right water. We are working on a water filter machine, filtering water for the community.
Always look at different problems – look at it with solutions mindset. How can we fix this problem?
And also get plenty of sunshine!
What are the barriers to change — systemic and interpersonal?
Funding is the biggest barrier. We did started a collective with some friends. It’s based on Mutual aid – if you buy products, you are funding our Mutual Aid work. It’s called Imdiggininus and also connected with Castlemont, Sankofa Garden, and Black Earth Farms.
What do you need? What would you ask from people who want to support you?
I’m always on lookout for supplies, and volunteers to help with different projects and funding. I would like to connect with a nonprofit, for as a fiscal sponsor.
The Canal Community Resilience Council (CCRC) is a part of the Multicultural Center of Marin’s Community resilience program, and is working to mitigate the local impacts of climate change in the Canal area of Marin County. Marco Berger, head of the Canal Community Resilience Council, notes that “The canal is particularly prone to sea level rise. It’s probably going to be one of the first to be affected in the area.” Located at a low elevation, issues of sea level rise are particularly pertinent to the neighborhood. Water levels in the San Francisco Bay can rise eight inches by 2035 and sixteen inches by 2050. Parts of the Canal could face up to two feet of flooding in the future.
The CCRC, comprised of members of the Canal neighborhood, convenes every month to discuss issues that could affect their community. And there are a lot of issues, including (but not limited to): housing, sea level rise, water quality, water access, flooding, waste management, transportation, and emergency preparedness. At CCRC meetings, stakeholders and community partners from local government agencies join to clarify policies and listen to citizen input.
Berger is keenly aware of this, observing that “People sit at home and they go, ‘Wow climate change. Stuff is going to go down. Things are gonna happen. But it’s over there somewhere, and I gotta put food on the table, I gotta pay rent.” However, he adds that communities are beginning to become more attuned to these issues. “I think as there are more things coming out about extreme weather and snowstorms in Texas, and people are starting to wake up.”
This work is a part of a larger impetus to provide local solutions to what is ultimately a global crisis: climate change.
That’s why it’s more important than ever to build community networks, so people know where to go for resources. That’s why Berger signed up to join the Resilience Hubs Leadership Training Program, “We’re really in an exploratory stage, we’re looking to see how we get involved and become a hub. It’d be good for people to know there’s a place for them to go for resources in a place of disaster.
Despite the added obstacles of the COVID-19 pandemic, Berger is persistent. “As long as I can keep doing work, that’s what I’m going to be doing.”
As the threat of coronavirus increases in Northern California, so does the stress and fear we are feeling in our communities. However, it is more important than ever that we support one another both to prepare, and to stay calm, connected and resilient amidst these uncertain times.
The impacts of coronavirus will not be equitably experienced across our communities– the elderly, those who experience chronic illnesses, and those without access to preventative resources will be most at risk.
Click here to view our in-progress community preparedness resource sheet
Saturday webinar: Cranky Queer Guide for Chronic Illness
We encourage all in our community to consider creating a plan for community-care and mutual aid, as well as self care, as we prepare for the times ahead. To learn more, join Saturday’s webinar held by the The Cranky Queer Guide to Chronic Illness and #MEAction on COVID-19 (Coronavirus) prep, this Saturday March 7th, at 10:00 AM PST. The webinar will focus on Lifesaving, practical tools and support for preparedness for people with chronic illnesses in the US, incorporating disability justice, emergent strategies & mutual aid practices.
In our commitment to supporting emergency preparedness across the region, we at NorCal Resilience are doing our best to keep tabs on this pressing issue, and are compiling all the resources and information we can find for our members to disseminate across your communities.
Boost your immune system using natural remedies
You can use the following natural herbs and foods to boost your immune system: Tulsi (holy basil), most mints, Ginger, Raw garlic, oregano, sage, fennel, raw honey, olive leaf, cinnamon (ceylon), shiitake, reishi and other beta glucan rich mushrooms, yarrow, boneset, black tea, green tea, raw onion, lomatium, thyme, calendula, clove, lemon balm (hypothyroidism may be contraindication), licorice glabra (careful if you have high blood press), elecampane, ACV, astragalus, chicken soup/bone broth
Make Your Own Hand Sanitizer
With hand sanitizer selling out in stores, here are a few recipes you to make at home:
Please read below for some key need-to-knows about coronavirus preparedness:
What are the Symptoms of Coronavirus?
Symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath and may appear 2-14 days after exposure. Reported illnesses have ranged from mild symptoms to severe illness and death for confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases (CDC).
Take a look at these multi-lingual factsheets you can share with your community:
There is currently no vaccine to prevent coronavirus. According to the CDC, the best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus through everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases, including:
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
How should I prepare in case of emergency?
Experts are recommending sticking up on a number of items in the event that a widespread quarantine is to occur.
What to have in your emergency kit (for at least 14 days):
As we face into the unknown together, it has never been more important for us to stay connected and committed to collective resilience. Through equitable resource sharing, relationship building, and deep community care we have the chance to be stronger and more prepared to face whatever the future may bring, from this emergency to the next. From this world, into the new one.
What do an community garden, youth-led health clinic, library and community center have in common? They are all part of the Resilience Hubs Initiative, building a network of neighborhoods, libraries, community gardens and neighborhood centers that are model sites for community resilience, rooted in three pillars:
** building beloved community ** permaculture-based climate solutions and ** disaster preparedness/response
A group of 25 community organizers gathered at the Oakland Peace Center on February 11th to launch the kickoff of the first cohort of Resilience Hubs. Participants engaged in ice breakers to get to know each other and build community, listened to a presentation about the project and offered strategic feedback around topics of fundraising, planning and trust.
“How do we create deep equitable community spaces” asked on participant. “We must focus on the people power,” offered another. “Let’s create events and project that amplify people connecting, sharing resources, education, skills, knowledge.”
The Resilient Hubs Initiative was created in response to the urgent need to build resilience in our homes and communities in the wake of climate change, drought and social injustice.
The Resilient Hubs Initiative uses a grassroots community-based approach to help scale up home and neighborhood resilience. We are creating a network of sites — including homes, schools, community gardens and neighborhood centers that are “ready for anything” — that are better prepared for natural disasters, climate change and other stressors in our community. Our long-term vision includes providing hubs with online resource guides, community organizing training workshops and support for on-the-ground activities such as garden and water conservation work parties.
The bulk of the 2020 Cohort sites are in Oakland and Berkeley. Sites include Canticle Farm, Gill Tract Community Farm, Dream Roots Youth Clinic and two neighborhoods in Berkeley and El Sobrante known for their neighborhood activities. Sites are requested to work on at least one project over the next six months that is amplified through a public-facing event. Hubs leaders are encouraged to get to know each other both through online communications channels and by attending each other’s events. A small pot of funding is available for work parties, thanks to support from the Lush Charity Pot and Altamont Advisory Fund.
The kickoff meeting ended with a song, led by the Gill Tract’s Coleman Rainey. People’s voices sang together joyfully and ended with a rousing shout: “Resilience!” May the community building continue!
Over 100 volunteers came out on a sunny spring weekend to support a school almost lost to one of the biggest fires in California history. Read their story below.
“I think one of our greatest mistakes is seeing ourselves separate from nature and that nature is somewhere “out there.” Unfortunately, it is events like the Camp Fire that remind us this is not the case. It is time to fit ourselves back into nature appropriately.”Matthew Trumm, coordinator of the Camp Fire Restoration Project
Nearly 100 people gathered at Pine Ridge Elementary School during our Spring Camp Weekend on April 27th, 2019 to install a permaculture demonstration site. Pictured – Garden School Coordinator Mandy Kling, Principal Talin Tamzarian and Matthew Trumm, CFRP Founder. Photo Credit: April Mangino
Rather than o
ne Camp, we are facilitating a system that stacks functions to influence change and create synergy as quickly as possible. Our Mobile Unit goes with us to the demonstration site where we work, easily accessible to meet the needs of where we serve and can be available for rent to property owners interested in hosting their own ecosystem restoration groups.
Our mobile camp infrastructure built by our experts to serve 100 campers today includes three dry composting toilets, an outdoor heated shower, water filtration system and outdoor kitchen and sink – all low-cost appropriate technologies
easy to build. Teams design systems as needed and run additional areas for kids, communal space and wellness/healing for massage, movement, medicine and compassionate listening.
