"Communities of color usually don't have their stories told, and we felt and still feel that it was critical for us to bring those stories to the surface so that you can understand why communities needed this type of transformation, this type of change." - Duron Chavis

[Why This Is Important]

Objective The Why: The main message of this episode is to understand the significance of storytelling in urban agriculture and community transformation. To become a person worth listening to, it is important to recognize the value of diverse community stories and their impact on creating real change.

[What You Need to Know]

In this episode, Duron Chavis, the founding director of Happily Natural Day, shares his journey from working for the city of Richmond to becoming involved in promoting urban agriculture and community gardens. He discusses the challenges and triumphs of his ventures, including working on a sustainable urban agriculture project in Petersburg, Virginia, and transitioning to a role focused on community engagement in Richmond.

[What You Need to Do]

All Action Steps Needed:

1. Listen to Duron Chavis's experiences and insights about urban agriculture and community transformation.

2. Reflect on the significance of storytelling in bringing about real change within diverse communities.

3. Consider the role you can play in promoting racial equity and understanding the stories of marginalized communities.

[TAKE ACTION]

Do this now: Tune in to the episode to learn from Duron Chavis's remarkable journey and gain valuable perspectives on the power of storytelling in urban agriculture and community development.

Gayle Turner is President of The Storytellers Channel, Inc. https://storytellerschannel.com/ For close to five decades he has used the power of story to initiate and sustain change while growing leaders and building productive corporate and community cultures.

Check out his LinkedIn profile to learn the rest of the story. https://www.linkedin.com/in/wgayleturner/ 

Shelli Jost Brady is Founder & Catalyst at Alchemy Consulting and Chief Operating Officer at The Storytellers Channel, Inc.

Check out her LinkedIn profile to learn the rest of the story. https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelli-jost-brady-94b44835/

Duron Chavis started his career in community advocacy as first a volunteer then an employee of the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of VA. He worked as a museum coordinator developing programs and conducting guided tours for groups of all ages and backgrounds. In 2003 he founded the highly acclaimed Happily Natural Day festival as a grassroots effort to supplement the summer jazz concert that was held annually at the institution. The festival is a weekend long experience held annually in both Richmond VA and Atlanta GA that focuses on cultural awareness, health, wellness and social change. Chavis has worked with Dr. Llaila Afrika, Dr. Phil Valentine, Hakim Bey, Dr. Neely Fuller, Queen Afua, Runoko Rashidi, Ashra Kwesi, Ashanti Alston, Dhoruba Bin-Wahad, dead prez, Popmaster Fabel and many more community activists, scholars and organizations from all over the country.

Check out Duron’s profile on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duronchavis/

Download a FREE checklist of how to craft intentional stories to inspire results. https://storytellerschannel.com/inspire

Keywords

urban agriculture, community gardens, food security, urban farming, indoor farming, sustainable urban agriculture, aquaponics, aeroponic grow system, food stamps, community transformation, community justice, public green space, race, racial equity strategy, urban farmers, storytelling, community engagement, Richmond, Petersburg, Virginia State University, Louis Skinner Botanical Garden, nonprofit, built environment, collaborative work, agriculture funding, agriculture grants, urban agriculture projects, food access, food justice, community capacity, community storytelling, Duron Chavis, Shelli Jost Brady, Gayle Turner.