Urban Farmer to Discuss Cultural Differences in Food in the U.S.

FREDERICK, Maryland—A farmer, author and community activist will visit Hood College on Sept. 27 to discuss urban farming as part of Hood’s “Passion and Profession” speaker series.

Natasha Bowens will present her lecture, “Digging Deep: My Journey into Farming, Community and Equity” at 7 p.m. in Whitaker Campus Center Commons. A panel discussion about local farming and gardens will follow the talk.

Bowens has traveled the country gathering stories and portraits of farmers and food activists from Black, Latina, Asian and Native communities. This resulted in her book, “The Color of Food: Stories of Race, Resilience and Farming,” which was published in 2015 and has since garnered national attention from institutions including Purdue, Tuskegee, Harvard and the USDA. The book is also quoted in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

In Frederick, Bowens works with community garden programs in public housing, and she is continuing her own farming journey—breaking ground last year as co-owner of a women-owned and operated fruit and flower farm in Washington County.

The panel will include Connie Ray, program manager of the Frederick Food Security Network and Campus Compact Mid-Atlantic AmeriCorps VISTA member; Drew Ferrier, director of Hood’s Center for Coastal and Watershed Studies; and Catherine Dorsey, director of client services at the Religious Coalition for Emergency Human Needs.

Hood’s Center for Career Development and Experiential Learning and the Office of the Dean of the Chapel present the “Passion and Profession” series to highlight the life and work of creative professionals whose careers combine values and commitments with a concern for social justice issues. Speakers share their experiences with students and the wider Frederick community.

For more information, contact Rev. Beth O’Malley at omalley@hood.edu.

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