From our Arthur Ashe commemorative issue: These Richmonders share Ashe's commitment to strengthen the African-American community.
Duron Chavis (Photo by Jay Paul)
Activist Duron Chavis realized early on he needed to get his hands dirty, and that his work begins in the soil.
The 38-year-old is a proponent of urban gardening, an effort he says can address the disconnect African-Americans feel toward growing and accessing food, along with promoting self-sustainability. It’s not just about eating healthy; it’s about being able to provide for yourself.
“The urban gardening stuff has been an exercise in building community in its truest sense, and it changes the conversation,” Chavis says. “It’s one thing to talk about community issues and another to advocate about them.”
Growing up in the city’s South Side, Chavis, with friends, frequented convenience stores. Honey buns, soda, chips, ramen noodles and processed foods were all part of their diets. Nearby, the golden arches of McDonald’s, the smiling Hardee’s star, and the pink and purple hues of the Taco Bell sign shone brightly. The closest grocery store was miles away. The place he called home was smack dab in a food desert, an urban area with limited access to healthy and affordable food.
It was through Chavis’ activism that he developed an awareness and desire to lead a healthier lifestyle. Now, he wants to ignite that same development with others. The journey to do so started at a local museum.
In 1996, Chavis began volunteering at the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia, where he would later be employed, in search of answers about his identity and purpose. While there, Chavis was exposed to a network of civil rights leaders from across the country. The environment served as a catalyst for his budding role in social activism. He went on to attend Virginia State University, where he first got in touch with his inner green thumb. Now, the university is home to one of the leading agricultural programs in the country, and Chavis is a prominent urban agriculture leader.
In 2012, he founded the McDonough Community Garden, an almost 9,000-square-foot garden in South Side, right down the street from those same golden arches. A few years later, in 2014, Chavis served as inaugural director of the Harding Street Urban Ag Center, an indoor farming incubator in Petersburg.
Happily Natural Day, Chavis’ vision for a festival celebrating cultural awareness, health, wellness and urban agriculture in the African-American community, came to fruition in 2003. The now 16-year-old annual festival draws attendees from across the country.
As an African-American Chavis knows that his urban gardening efforts may be considered atypical by some, but he considers them vital. Soil and seeds are the beginning of a plant’s life, and he believes that to connect people to their food, they have to become part of the process.
Chavis divides his time as an activist with work at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden as the manager of community engagement, where he highlights the importance of community green spaces, urban agriculture and food security, driving it to the forefront of community conversations. He also conducts the Ginter Urban Gardener program, a 12-week initiative on the creation of public green spaces in neighborhoods.
Chavis draws influence from Arthur Ashe, recognizing that people connect through relationship-building and authenticity. “He took a conversation [about AIDS] and put it on the forefront,” Chavis says. “It’s vulnerable of him … it’s a powerful act."
