Green Guerillas marks 50 years of fighting for green spaces

New York City is home to hundreds of community gardens, and each one has their own distinct character. But rewind 50 years and the landscape was much different. The city was in the throes of an economic crisis, and instead of gardens, trash-strewn vacant lots were the norm in many neighborhoods. 

Enter Green Guerillas, a group of activist gardeners who united in 1973 to take back these lots and transform them into lush urban oases. Five decades later, the organization is still going strong. 

Morning Edition Host Michael Hill talked with Sarah McCollum Williams, Executive Director of Green Guerrillas and Iyeshima Harris-Ouedraogo, the organization’s Director of Youth & Community Engagement. 

18 year old Julian Campbell, a youth intern with the Green Guerilla's Youth Empowerment Pipeline, also shared a poem written by him: