Planting Justice: Cly’s Story
RVC Green Pathways Fellow Cly Samson at Danny Woo Community Garden in the International District. Portrait by Chloe Collyer.
“I get to work with community gardens all across King County and give free resources. Over the years, people have asked for more culturally relevant seeds or starts. And so I ask a lot of the community gardens, like, ‘what is your wish list?’ I asked that last year, and people asked for eggplant, Clemson okra, Malabar spinach, roselle. Last year we grew 2,500 seed starts and gave them away for free to all the community gardens. And it was really cool being able to give something during the pandemic. Having a connection to plant during this time is really important.
A lot of people, especially BIPOC folks and low-income folks, are just trying to survive. People have so many other things to think about beyond ‘how clean is the water in my river?’ or ‘how are the trees in my backyard doing?’
I always look towards the youth or the next generation, even though I’m like twenty-five. I’m so hopeful for the future because of how much empowerment is already in people’s souls and in their feelings towards the environment. And I think everyone within themselves has that capacity to look deep into seeing futures beyond futures.
I just want, like, bare minimum: for people to have the same playing field or like at least the same level of security and safety. I want everyone to be able to not worry about how they’re going to pay rent or how they’re going to put food on the table. People should have that same set of things given to them, because then you’re able to breathe and dream about things that are better, start doing that work, and see that come to fruition. But that first thing, that first level of getting people’s needs squared away is really important.”
RVC Green Pathways Fellow Cly Samson at Danny Woo Community Garden in the International District. Portrait by Chloe Collyer.
Cly Samson (she/her) is a Green Pathways Fellow with RVC Seattle. Hosted by King County Conservation District, Cly supports community gardens in King County through education and free resources like seed money and culturally relevant seed starts. Food justice is one of her greatest passions in life.
Cly’s family is from Angono, Rizal, Philippines, which is the art capital of the Philippines. Cly says: “my relatives are artists in their own unique way and I strive to live a creative life. I enjoy creating stories and characters for fun. I also love to play the guitar. I take care of my mom and we live a happy, simple life together. My grandfather and I share the same birthday, so I’ve always had a strong connection to him even though I can only remember him from faint memories as a four-year-old. He was a fisherman, a farmer, the Capitan of his barrio and a complete mystery. He would fish on Angono Lake, also known to locals as Wawa. I inherently feel his strong connection and love for water and for lakes especially. Water is more than just a resource to take. It is a spiritual portal for us to connect with our ancestors and our loved ones.”
Community Partner Spotlight: RVC Seattle
RVC (Rooted in Vibrant Communities) strengthens the power of communities of color in order to create a more equitable society through capacity-building, leadership development, and operations support. It accomplishes this through core programs and services as well as through leading partnerships with community members and organizations of color. These members and organizations provide support services tailored to the strengths and needs of the communities they serve.
