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AUSTIN (KXAN) – The cultivation of a movement begins with the first sowing of a seed. That logic has become the framework of the Austin nonprofit Black Lives Veggies, an organization founded to promote food sustainability and entrepreneurship for disenfranchised communities.
Lifelong Austinite Larry Franklin founded Black Lives Veggies in the summer of 2020 to teach the art of gardening to people of all income levels.
(KXAN Photo / Kelsey Thompson)
Larry Franklin and Johnny Jefferson launched Black Lives Veggies in the summer of 2020 after protests against Black Lives Matter spread across the country and the pandemic sparked renewed interest in DIY horticulture.
The non-profit organization’s premise is based on financial accessibility for aspiring gardeners achieved by lowering the cost of organic vegetables and running educational courses to teach beginners the craft.
“There is a collection of people who have been and are still being oppressed by the system that, for example, focuses a certain type of person, skin color and gender into certain categories within our economic society,” he said. “So when you hear Black Lives Veggies, it’s a movement. It’s an underdog move to use people’s power to get into the game. And once you’re in the game, you diversify the system. “
But the idea for the nonprofit dates back to when Franklin led an initial prototype gardening initiative that specialized in garden beds.
While the endeavor was not profitable, Franklin recognized the interest in gardening and knew the potential of a not-for-profit horticultural community base would appeal to residents.
“It’s an underdog move to use people’s power to get into the game. And once you’re in the game, you diversify the system. “
Larry Franklin, founder of the non-profit organization Black Lives veggies
“I thought, ‘Hey, people really want to eat vegetables. And they like these cool boxes that I design, ‘”he said. “I need financial help to continue to provide for the community.”
With the help of a few friends and their financial support, Franklin went the 1023 EZ Application Route, a leaner nonprofit application form that requires a tax sponsor.
The charitable model for Black Lives Veggies is a four-tier approach: Growing vegetables in a community garden expands to growing gardens in different locations, which then become a business that makes profits while developing a movement that gives people self-sufficiency and life skills teaches.
“When we want to talk about the bare minimums that men, women and animals need, few things come to mind, and one of them is food,” he said. “So why not learn the entrepreneurial aspect of growing your own food and then turning it over and reselling it?”
The appeal for customers is to offer vegetables at an affordable price, improve people’s health, while increasing product availability for all income groups. Vegetables are $ 2 online, with starter kits for customers with access to seeds, soil, and pots. The vegetables currently on offer are spinach, broccoli, kale and chard.
While the nonprofit tries to expand its reach, Black Lives Veggies has launched a GoFundMe page to raise additional funding for garden supplies and operating tools. As a lifelong Austinite, Franklin said that the ultimate goal of Black Lives Veggies is to give back to the same community that raised and supported him.
After spending five years in jail for drug trafficking, Franklin’s first job after incarceration was as a gardener. It is the loyalty and trust of his community in him, said Franklin, that he wants to flow into every customer of Black Lives Veggies.
“It’s okay to doubt, it’s okay to be afraid, it’s okay to wonder,” he said. “The main thing is don’t let it come to you, don’t let it control you. You know, when you have a vision, when you believe in something and believe in it to the point that you are sacrificing your whole self for it, then go through it, man. “
Reach out to KXAN Digital Reporter Kelsey Thompson by email at kelsey.thompson@kxan.com, by phone at 512-703-5300, or find her on Twitter.
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