HARTFORD, Conn. — Just off Sterling Street in Hartford’s North End neighborhood, what was a barren plot of land is being transformed into a green space.
Juneteenth served as the catalyst for the community event that brought helping hands from all over the area to pitch in.
Kamora Herrington, the force behind the community group called Kamora’s Cultural Corner was behind organizing the beautification event.
“We are in the process of turning this into a land trust,” Herrington said. “This is going to be green space for the people of this community forever.”
Wallace Reid came to Sterling Street from Bloomfield to lend his time and talents. A spoken word poet, Reid addressed kids from across Connecticut who were helping at the event.
“We are actually cleaning up the flower beds here, we are fixing up the planter beds – we have kale, cabbage, and collard greens over there, and everything once it’s grown, once it’s produced, it’s free,” Reid said Surveying the wide plot of land. “We are trying to get people the things they need, and community is one of the biggest things they need.”
Painting, planting, and raking, Herrington also added that there was an overall Juneteenth message attached to the day of service for the North End project.
“Juneteenth is a metaphoric time for us to come together and contemplate freedom. While the original Juneteenth took place in Galveston, Texas, and reminds us of what freedom looked like for that group of people when they were finally freed. What it now means for the entire nation is freedom,” she said.
Jimmy Altman is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at jaltman@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
---
Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com
----
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.