Hilltop Urban Gardens
About
Hilltop Urban Gardens is a community-based urban agriculture, justice, and equity organization in Tacoma, WA
CREST Representative: Carmetrus Parker (she/her)
Why did you join CREST?
To support efforts in Tacoma for establishing a community land trust
What are you proud to have accomplished so far related to your project or related to your community stewardship of land efforts?
Recently HUG purchased property and become land owners and property owners. The costs have been funded generously through grants supportive of land stewardship efforts. The long-term financial impacts have been greatly reduced.
What are the next steps for your organization in realizing your project vision?
Working with local community organizers and leaders to establish a community land trust.
What support and expertise are you looking for?
Fundraising support and thought partners
TraeAnna Holiday, CREST cohort member from Africatown Seattle:
"I am so honored to be a part of what Puget Sound Sage is doing in this city. They brought together 20 organizations who may not have known each other, and together we are taking progressive models that are happening across the nation to reform and develop our spaces, have ownership in our spaces, create and rebuild our communities, and reclaim what has been taken from us. I represent Africatown Seattle, and if you know of what the Central District has gone through - it has suffered a great deal of gentrification, inequity and displacement. Africatown is working hard on the ground to develop buildings that are bringing our communities back.
For me, this is very personal. My family was displaced in 2003 and my parents had to buy a home in Federal Way. I have never known of Federal Way before. I grew up in the Central area, and it was all I knew for my whole life. It was so heartbreaking to my mother for us to have to move. We are one family, but displacement has affected so many more. This is why I’m so excited to be a part of this cohort. With the work of Puget Sound Sage, I am learning more on how to do this in a progressive way, ensure that we keep affordability for our communities and for our people, and to come back to spaces that we grew up in that we know and love.”