South Central Farmers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                    Contact:           Tezozomoc

January 28, 2007                                                                                  888-SCFARM-1

  Photos and interviews available upon request 

THE SOUTH CENTRAL FARMERS ARE BRINGING FOOD TO THE ‘HOODAND FORGING BLACK-BROWN UNITY IN THE PROCESS 

Almost nine months after the South Central Farmers were forcibly removed from fourteen acres of urban farmland that they painstakingly rehabilitated from an informal dumping ground and drug haven transforming it into a thriving Farm, the Farmers have given birth to a new labor of love, their Bringing Food to the ‘Hood campaign.

The Farmers’ Bringing Food to the ‘Hood campaign is the brainchild of their newly restructured and reenergized organization, the South Central Farmers Health and Education Fund (SCFHEF), a 501c.3 charitable non-profit group.  The Campaign fatefully and very intentionally emerged from the dark and desolate remains of the Farm, mimicking the emergence of the famous lotus blossoms that once a year burst forth from the muck and muddy waters of Echo Park Lake near downtown Los Angeles.

The intentional part of the Farmers’ fate is their bold and resolute proclamation that “you can kill the farmers’ farm, but you can’t kill the farmers’ power to keep Bringing Food to the ‘Hood.  The Campaign is part of a larger plan to address community food security issues through comprehensive and multi-faceted efforts that engage multiple stakeholders and constituencies in planning for and implementing viable food systems that feed hungry families in underserved urban neighborhoods of Los Angeles.

As part of their ambitious campaign to keep Bringing Food to the ‘Hood, the SCFHEF hosts a monthly Tianguis marketplace in collaboration with various community-based organizations, artisans, and local merchants.  Every first Sunday of the month, the Tianguis transforms public space surrounding the original 14-acre farm into a site for healthy eating, healthy economics, and healthy relationships.  The Tianguis capitalizes on local cultural and social assets in an effort to rebuild community out of the void left behind when developer Horrowitz bulldozed and razed the farm on June 13, 2006. 

At the February 4 Tianguis, the SCFHEF will roll out The BIG Fruit Tree Giveaway in collaboration with Tree People. One hundred fruit trees will be distributed to neighborhood families.  The Farmers want every tree that was bulldozed, killed, or forcibly removed from the South Central Farm to be lovingly replaced by a new sapling of potential and hope in South Central Los Angeles.  Tree types will include passion fruit, apples, apricots, nectarines, loquats, peaches, cherimoya, plums, and guavas

 WHAT:           1) SCFHEF Tianguis—A Celebration of Black-Brown Unity

                         2) The Big Fruit Tree Giveaway

                         3) Music and entertainment 

WHEN:           Sunday, February 4, 2007 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

WHERE:        On 41^st Street, between Long Beach and Alameda

The SCFHEF Community Center & Gallery

1702 E. 41^st Street

Los Angeles, CA 90058

WHO:             The eclectic line-up of artists, speakers, and performers will feature:

§         Statement from Congresswoman Maxine Waters

§         Opening Danza Group led by Refujio Cevallos

§         Children’s Workshops and Stories

§         TEZOZOMOC (Spoken Word)

§         Cooking Demo SCF

§         Reggae Rock (encampment Carlos’ band)

§         Comparza de Chinelos Nueva Generacion, Danza tradicional del Estado de Morelos, Mexico

§         FICA-Los Angeles (Fuandacao International de Capoeira Angloa) and CAC-Los Angeles  (Capoeira Angola Center) will be collaborating  (Alma & Xavier)
Note: This group will be practicing continuously from 1:30 till 3:30

§         Xochisoneros (Fandango Style)– Performance & Presentation of how Son Jarocho has ties in “Black & Brown” communities and the African & Indigenous influence in Veracruz

§         MIXCOACALLI Aztec Drumming Group

§         Farmlife (Hip- Hop Rap)

§         Duro Son (Rhumba/Son Puertoriquieño/Salsa)

§         Closing Danza Group led by Refugio Cevallos

§         Possibility of West African Drum and Dance ensemble

 SCFHEF Mission Statement The purpose of this Corporation shall be to preserve, maintain, acquire, and cultivate farm land in urban areas for the purpose of improving the health and welfare of individuals, families and communities. The services, activities and support provided by the Corporation will include, but not be limited to, educational programs and activities related to urban farming techniques and strategies, healthy living and nutrition programs, services and activities to raise public awareness of the health and environmental benefits to local communities resulting from urban farming, the agricultural cultivation of urban farm land, the acquisition of property for the creation of urban farms, and other charitable activities associated with these goals. 

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