#WeFightUrbanFoodApartheid
#WeWereBroughtHeretoCultivate
#HeStartedUsinaGardenforaReason
These hashtags illuminate the mission of The Charles Madison Nabrit Memorial Garden at the Church of Christ of the Apostolic Faith. Launched in 2014 in the rear of the church home of a 110+ year old congregation formed by descendants of formerly enslaved Africans, the USDA Economic Research Service identifies our zip code as a low income, low access urban food desert. But deserts are naturally occurring environments, food insecurity is not.

Paula Penn-Nabrit's talk explores the intersection between the intimate issues of gardening as grief therapy, the political issues of food security, food pantries, and community gardens, and the cultural and spiritual issues of post-traumatic slave syndrome, and the Black church. Paula Penn-Nabrit has always been serious about living a holistic, 3D life. Married for 36 years, 8 months, and 22 days, Paula and Charles Nabrit crafted a “two shall be one flesh” union. Paula left her job in 1986 to start PN&A, Inc., a small management consulting firm. In 2003, Random House published one of her books on the topic of raising her three sons, Morning by Morning: How We Home-Schooled Our African-American Sons to the Ivy League. Years later, Charles convinced her to launch Telos Training, Inc., a 501(c)(3) dedicated to the support of women’s 3D lives. The organization’s biggest project to date is The Charles Madison Nabrit Memorial Garden at The Church of Christ of the Apostolic Faith, which opened in 2014. She and her eldest sons co-manage the garden and sell organic produce for $1lb. A daughter, sister, wife, mother, entrepreneur, author, Sunday School teacher, widow, garden manager, cook, and amateur artist Paula Penn-Nabrit remains serious about her 3D life. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx