LEXINGTON, Ky. — As the world celebrates the emancipation of Black people, Lexington is highlighting historically African American rural communities.
Jojuana Leavell-Greene and her son James are two pioneers for Black agriculture and landscaping in Lexington.
At the end of Cadentown Lane, in what was once a historically black neighborhood, is Greene Landing. There, Leavell-Greene and James dig, plant and produce varieties of fruits and vegetables and many flowers.
“We were going to sell the land, so I decided in 2019 I would till it up this,” Leavell-Greene said about how it started. “I’ve got mustard dimes—right here I’ve got mustard dimes growing.”
As one of central Kentucky’s newer Black-owned gardens in the heart of what is being transformed into a place remembered for its rural culture, both say the goal is to highlight natural resources and the benefits of Kentucky’s environment.
“[We got] conservation grants to bring young kids out here and teach them how to grow and everything. We have gotten conservation grants every year, so they can come out and get a 6x6 spot,” Leavell-Greene said.
It is part of their cause to encourage people to get connected to the historic land that was cultivated once before.
“Even if you were the one in control of putting the seed in the growing, that product comes to you. It’s an important step to make sure that what you’re putting in your body is good for your body,” manager James Leavell-Greene explained.
James said it gives that glimpse of the past.
“You kind of get a sense of what it was like back in the day into the civil war, in the emancipation proclamation, with us selling here on the land is farming,” he said. “This takes people back in time to allow them to see you know what it looked like back in the day.”
Greene Landing says they hope to be a big help to agriculture and more in Cadentown.