Category: Faith

5K Races, Autumn, Community, Down On the Farm, Environment, Events, Faith, Food Justice, Neighbors, Non-Profits, Opal's Farm, Persistence, Running, Service to Others, Social Justice, Spirituality, Thanksgiving, The Future, Thoughts From the Porch, Unity Unlimited, Inc., Urban Farming

A Time For Reflection

gregoryjoel

Fall always seems to be a time of introspection for me. The weather gets cooler and although it’s really busy at the farm, I seem to naturally bend toward refection. I often wish I still had my staff to help out at the farm. I’ve been slowed this year by the aches and pains that accompany age and I feel way behind on so many things. However, there is an advantage to working solo. I can contemplate where I am at, the future, and grow in gratitude toward the God that has so richly blessed my life.

I just celebrated my eighth anniversary as the Farm Manager at Opal’s Farm. I’m so grateful for the opportunity I’ve been given to work for such a fantastic organization and serve our community in the most basic manner – growing healthy, organically grown food and creating access to that food to the communities that need it the most.

Fall is a great time for growing here in North Texas. Although we’ve had above-average temperatures for most of the last couple of months, we’re through the oppressive heat of Texas summers, and it’s the perfect weather for farming and gardening. It’s also a great time for reflection and begin planning for 2026.  As we look forward, I’m reminded of the importance of decision-making in line with our core values – resourceful, rooted, and resilient.

Resourceful – Opal’s defines resourceful as the intentional effort to restore resource to the land and the community. We use what is available in creative ways to leave a better community behind. Ms. Opal reminds me that “we’ve done so much with so little for so long that we can do anything with nothing”. We also rely on the community of farmers and volunteers that we’ve become a part of forcontinued learning and action.

Rooted – Staying true to your roots is an important aspect of community empowerment. Opal’s Farm believes in aligning its efforts with its surrounding community and tailoring those efforts to those it serves. To be aligned with our community requires the

open-mindedness and willingness to listen and act accordingly.

Resilience – To be resilient is to be tough, persevering, and brave. We are on journey that demands our attention, a commitment to action, and a dedication to create lasting impact. The political, economic, and environmental climate we find ourselves in demands adaptability.

While most businesses list honesty, integrity, service, and commitment to excellence as stated values, those go without saying for us and the local urban farming community you all are a part of. They’re part of our DNA. So, I needed the reminder that being resourceful, rooted, and resilient just as important as those values that are second-nature to Unity Unlimited, Inc.

The final thing that dictates everything we do is a deep sense of gratitude – grateful for the opportunity to do what we do and to be a part of the vibrant farming and local food community we’re a part of. As we enter the holiday season this month, we want to exercise extra thanksgiving for you all. May you all have a great Thanksgiving and success sin your farms and gardens!

Please remember as well that next Saturday, November 1st, is the 3rd Annual “High Strides Against Diabetes 5k and Walk” at Joppy Momma’s Farm in South Dallas. We are proud to co-host the run with Joppy Momma’s and celebrate Diabetes Awareness Month with the community. The Block Party will be great this year!

Activism, Citizenship, Community, Equal Rights, Events, Faith, Gratitude, Hope, Love, Non-Profits, Opal's Farm, Revival, Service to Others, Social Justice, Thoughts From the Porch, Unity Unlimited, Inc., Urban Farming, Volunteers, What Can I Do

Protests and Service

gregoryjoel

This year has been rough. I had to lay off my help in January due to funding cuts. My own paycheck has been infrequent this year making it difficult financially. Many of my friends in the farming and in the non-profit communities find themselves in similar situations. I blew my left knee out in April and the knee replacement surgery I was looking forward to this November has been delayed due to post-op infection risks discovered in my surgical clearance appointments – probably until next Fall. Listening to the news gets more depressing each day. Authoritarian rule and economic crisis are a black cloud that constantly hovers overhead. Honestly, it gets a bit overwhelming.

Fortunately, I get constant reminders of God’s grace and providence on those days when it all seems to be a bit too much. I had a couple of those this week. The first one came in the form of two great volunteer groups that came out to the farm. First Financial Bank came to the farm on Monday. This was their tenth anniversary of their “Day of Service” they do each year to give back to their local community. We are so grateful for choosing us for the second year to be the recipient of their service day. We all had a great time together and an incredible amount of work got done. We want to give a shout-out to Sandra Martinez, who organized the day for First Financial Bank. We appreciate you so much.

Wednesday brought another amazing group of volunteers from JP Morgan Chase. JPMC has come to the farm several times over the last five years with various groups from their many banks and departments to help at the farm. The Wednesday group completed so many of the things that would have taken me several weeks to accomplish by myself. We are always so glad to see them and exceedingly grateful for all their help.

The overall reminder came yesterday in the form of “No Kings Day”, a nationwide protest opposing authoritarian rule, divisiveness, and threats to the freedom we so joyously celebrate and hold onto. I sat down this morning to read the news from across the country about millions of people standing and marching together peacefully for unity and freedom. N(No arrests related to the protests were reported I might add). Here in Fort Worth, thousands gathered at Burk Burnett Park and marched through downtown. Sometimes I need to know I’m not alone. Seeing so many others choosing love and justice warms my heart and renews my strength to keep on the path of love and service in pursuit of unity.

Unity, service, empathy, equity, and justice are not simply political ideas. They are core values for Opal’s Farm and Unity Unlimited, Inc. We are so grateful for all of our supporters and our volunteers that come to put those values into action. We are grateful to all of those who stood together yesterday in support of those values.

Birthdays, Community, Down On the Farm, Events, Faith, Family, Gratitude, Heroes, Honor, Role Models, Service to Others, Thoughts From the Porch, Unity Unlimited, Inc., Urban Farming

Happy Birthday Ms. Opal

gregoryjoel

Happy 99th Birthday to Dr. Opal Lee!!!! I am so honored and privileged to know and work for Ms. Opal.  I’ve learned more about loving and serving others in the last seven years than I ever could have imagined. I’m even one of the official “Grandkids” (she told me so). Being in the presence of a true civil rights icon leaves me so humbled and grateful. God has been good to me and to all that Opal’s Farm and Unity Unlimited do each day.

If you had told me when I entered recovery almost twenty years ago that I would be living the life I have today I would’ve told you there was no way. Today I get to go to work each day knowing that Opal’s Farm is making a difference for our community.

Photo by Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels.com
Activism, Choices, Citizenship, Community, Democracy, Events, Faith, Hope, Juneteenth, Neighbors, Opal's Farm, Responsibility, Revival, Social Justice, Thoughts From the Porch, Unity Unlimited, Inc.

What a Nice Surprise

gregoryjoel

(Side Note – I just saw that my last post was on June 1st. June is always busy with all the Juneteenth activities hosted by Unity Unlimited, Inc. and Opal’s Farm. Just as a side note to all those I follow regularly – I have fallen so far behind your posts and emails that I’ve had to send them to the archives in the hope that someday I may time to read them. That’s one of the most difficult parts of this month as it deepens the sense of disconnection from the people I most enjoy. Please know that I think of you all often and hope to stay current going forward into July.)

June may be busy but it has also been full of hope and joy during a time when so many folks are struggling under the onus of grief, anger, and depression caused by the chaos, hatefulness, and uncertainty coming from Washington D.C. on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis. In response to this madness, large rallies and protests were held around the country, from small villages and towns to major cities, on June 14th called “No Kings Day”. Even here in Fort Worth, a crowd of around 7500 people met at Burkburnett Park and marched through downtown Fort Worth in a peaceful, non-violent protest. The turnout was quite unexpected in this extremely conservative, deeply red, city. Moreover, it was a widely diverse crowd including moderates, progressives, and even some conservatives who stand against the heavy-handed authoritarianism coming from the current administration.

This may not sound like a big deal compared to other crowds around the country, but even during the height of the protests when George Floyd was brutally murdered in 2020, the crowd size never grew over two thousand. Perhaps more folks are beginning to see behind the MAGA curtain and becoming willing to act. I can only hope.

I was asked to speak at the rally (which was advertised as non-partisan, mind you) about the importance of changing our local food system in light of all the events we struggle with today and the importance of being able to grow our own food. I’ve always believed that planting a garden is a revolutionary act. It changes the perception of both the grower and the food system itself. Local food is a threat to the old ways of the distribution of ultra-processed, unhealthy, food void of proper nutrients, particularly in vulnerable urban neighborhoods.

Juneteenth was only a few days later and there was no shortage of Juneteenth activities this year even though many other cities cancelled or cutback their celebrations this year. Ms. Opal Lee’s annual “Walk for Freedom” was supported by over 2600 walkers this year in Fort Worth; not the mention those that participated in our host cities – New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Tokyo, Japan – or walked virtually in their own towns across the country and the world. I got a post from New Zealand about a young lady whose family joined in the walk despite the twenty-hour time difference!

We finished the week on Sunday with Sen. Bernie Sanders and the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour at Dickies Arena here in Fort Worth. His commitment to speaking to truth in deeply red states is sorely needed and appreciated in times like these. I’m a firm believer that had the DNC party apparatus not blocked him from of the 2016 Presidential nomination in favor of Hillary Clinton, things would be much different today. Just saying…

The events of this June here in conservative Tarrant County, Texas have given me a glimmer of hope. These days I will take hope wherever and however I find it. I think we all should. The constant onslaught of chaos and immoral policies (note that these are immoral, not simple political policies and choices – I’m not speaking from a political framework) drives us all to a state of hopelessness. That’s exactly where the powers that be want us to be. It’s easier to control and hurt quiet people. Thanks Fort Worth for making your voice louder this month. Now let’s get louder…

Activism, Citizenship, Community, Down On the Farm, Education, Equal Rights, Events, Faith, Freedom, Gratitude, Heroes, Hope, Prayer, Quotes, Thoughts From the Porch, Unity Unlimited, Inc., Urban Farming, Volunteers, What Can I Do

A Celebration of Freedom

gregoryjoel

It’s hard to believe that June is already here. I haven’t written much this Spring due to how busy it’s been at the farm. I beat myself up pretty good for not keeping up with our social media and my writing, but I’ve finally given myself a break and returned to “it gets done when it gets done”. Do the best you can each day and go to bed knowing that you did everything that needed to be done today. The farm, and life really, moves at its own pace and we do the best we can do and learn to let go…

Opal’s Farm has had some great volunteer groups this Spring as well as our wonderful regular volunteers. I’m not going to mention you by name simply because I don’t have space to list you all. I want to let you know how appreciated you are. I’m not confused. I know for certain that without you Opal’s Farm wouldn’t be there to provide food and access to healthy food for so many of our neighbors. Please know that every task you help with is another healthy meal served for those that need it most.

I’m always surprised when our corporate volunteers, who often come from some very conservative businesses, talk about the craziness we are all experiencing on a daily basis if one listens to even a small portion of the daily news. The chaos of the last four months has reached each one of us in some way and the thing I hear the most is “What can I do?” Sometimes it’s asked with a genuine desire to find a course of action that really says something to the powers that be but mostly it comes with a deep sense of helplessness, powerlessness, and quiet resignation.

I certainly don’t have the answers. Fortunately, I have the honor and privilege of working with my grandmother (I know she’s everyone’s grandmother, but she told me I’ve been adopted), Dr. Opal Lee; nationally known as “The Grandmother of Juneteenth”. In addition to the farm, and perhaps most importantly, is my annual Juneteenth work and celebration. Juneteenth and Opal’s Farm are about bringing all people, regardless of race, religion, sexual identity, culture, or political beliefs to the table together. As Dr. Opal has told me any times, “It’s not a Texas thing, it’s not a Black thing, it’s a unifier.” There is a way for everyone to show our support for freedom and unity. Celebrate Juneteenth together!

Juneteenth celebrations are more important than ever this year. According to Dr. Charles M Blow, “many cities have cancelled Juneteenth (celebrations)”: mostly out of fear of being considered “DEI” and the current erasure of anything having to do with Black culture and history. ( https://www.cbsnews.com/news/from-celebrating-juneteenth-to-the-erasure-of-black-history-charles-m-blow-on-america-today/ ).

Juneteenth is not a “DEI” initiative. It’s a national holiday that passed with bipartisan support. Even the man currently in the White House (I still can’t say his name aloud or in print) tried to appeal to Black voters in 2020 by making Juneteenth a federal holiday in the last days of his previous administration.

Juneteenth is a day for all of us to remember that freedom is for everyone especially those had had been enslaved. We haven’t cancelled our Juneteenth Celebration here in Fort Worth. We still started our month-long celebration with the Ecumenical Breakfast of Prayer last Friday. The Miss Juneteenth Scholarship Pageant was on Saturday. This coming Saturday will be the stage play, Timmy’s Dance, followed by the “Walk for Freedom” on the 19th, the 1K Women Strong Legacy Awards Breakfast on the 20th,” Empowering You”, a job, health, and education fair on the 21st. The month of activities closes with “Your Voice Unleashed” – a week-long program for our young people including the culinary arts, music, and the choir concert.

We will be walking 2.5 miles (to symbolize the 2.5 years it took for the enslaved people in Texas to discover they were freed) with Dr. Opal on the 19th at 9:00 AM. The walk is timed with our sponsor cities across time zones – New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Tokyo, Japan – so that everyone will be walking at the same time.

We also have a virtual walk for those too far away from Fort Worth or our sponsor cities. We encourage everyone to get their “2.5” on and walk with your friends wherever you are. It’s a beautiful show of unity to demonstrate our love for freedom, especially in these difficult times.

I invite everyone to join us in the “Walk for Freedom”. We’d love to hear from those who walk in their own cities and towns. The Walk will be held next year in Washington D.C. in conjunction with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. We’d love to have 1.5 million people walking together across the country to symbolize the 1.5 million signatures on the petition Dr. Opal delivered to Congress that led to the Juneteenth holiday in 2021.