He had introduced himself at the “launch event” for the TC Record issue that was organized by the anthro students in late April.  He told me that he was a student in a “different style” of doctoral program someplace in Ohio, that he liked my work, that he had worked as a teacher in Harlem where he had started a garden in an empty lot, that he was writing a dissertation about this.  As he was speaking I thought that he might have something to tell us about these gardens and I encouraged him to come and visit.  He said he would send me something he had just written.  Eventually, after a series of e-mail, we arranged for him to come to my office hours this afternoon.

TG is a thin white man in his fifties at least.  At some point he told me that he was convinced his work would enhance broad mindedness which he related to his experience growing up in Long Island (I believe) “as a young gay boy.”  He talked almost non-stop for most of the meeting.  I guess his hope is to find someone to help him with writing what he called a “program plan” which I take to be a proposal for the research that lead to his doctorate at the Union Institute and University located in Cincinnati, Ohio, in an interdisciplinary doctoral program in a  “holistic” center.  He is in his fifth year there and “they are getting more traditional,” “they have not accepted my program plan,” “I am unsure what to do next,” “I would like to join your reading group.”  What he is doing is an “ethnographic writing of his experience working with elementary school children building gardens.”  He said that he has been doing this, taking notes, etc., for three years. 

All this is based on his experience as a teacher for 11 years at PS76 (Powell and W.121st).  When he started this was a school with one of the lowest reading scores in the city.  It was also very active in the Kwanza holiday movement.  He was given a class of children with disabilities.  He noticed that they were often diagnosed as “not being able to talk” but then, when playing, they expressed themselves fully.  He then started a garden (“children of this age are closer to nature”), which was buldozed by the city, which led to a second garden.  He talked of his style as being “therapeutic teaching.”  By the end of the 11 years more Africans started moving into the area.

He said that “one of the good things” that followed Mayor Giuliani’s attempt to take over the gardens was the development of political consciousness among the gardeners and the development of a gardening network.  He started mentioning names (Willy Morgan, and 3 or 4 others) and says that he knows them well.  I mentioned the gardens on 128th/129th street and he knew them and the person in charge.  He talked about a “Trust for Public Land” that is buying some lands from the city and attempting to devolve it to community groups.  One of the issue is being sure that individuals do not begin to act as if they owned their gardens.

TG is now working in the Cooke Learning Center that is housed (part of?) The West Harlem Head Start at 128th street.  I mentioned that we had been in contact with the Harlem Children’s Zone.  He said something like “They are very powerful in our world!”

I talked them about his willingness to introduce us to some of these gardeners.  He said he would.  I mentioned that we might be interested in providing a kind of public forum for people who wanted to tell their story under their name and that we might be able to publish these on our web site.  He seemed to think some might like this idea since their increased political visibility makes it necessary to be more publically involved.  I also mentioned Linda’s idea about training youths as ethnographers.  He volunteered “to do life histories?”  I answered that this could be one possibility.

He gave me his phone number (212-952-5192) and his e-mail address.  I told him that Linda would be contacting him.