Breaking Barriers in Urban Native Agriculture

Having grown up in Richmond, Kentucky, Chas is a recent graduate from Centre College with a B.A. in Sociology and English. The highly prevalent Issues of poverty and food insecurity, which Chas witnessed in his own community in rural Kentucky, led him to focus on examining the structural roots of these problems as an undergraduate. In addition to studying sociology at Centre, Chas participated in the National Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty Program, where he worked at the Evolution Center in Atlanta to connect those experiencing houselessness to resources and housing, and he has also interned with local legal aid offices who provide assistance to those most vulnerable in the Appalachian region. As an Emerson Fellow, Chas is excited to grow and learn as an advocate for food justice.

Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Tatiana Villegas recently graduated from Whitman College with a BA in environmental sociology. Tatiana believes that healthy communities can only flourish when they acknowledge multiple perspectives. Incorporating this belief into her life, she has done research and work that discusses the connection between people and our lands. Specifically, exploring how humans can work to heal the land and thus heal ourselves.