Interweaving With Gail Wells
Inspired by our Interweaving podcast, this is the second in a series of conversations with people doing social justice work in Buffalo, NY.
All photos contributed by Gail Wells.
Ms. Gail Wells is Founder of Buffalo Freedom Gardens and a Project Consultant for Grassroots Gardens of Buffalo. Founded in 2020, Buffalo Freedom Gardens has two aims, first, to help residents create sustainable food sources on the East Side of Buffalo through urban farming and, second, to bring the vibrancy of horticulture to urban spaces. Between 2020 and 2021, Ms. Wells and Buffalo Freedom Gardens helped more than 80 residents start gardening – front-yard, backyard, raised bed, and container gardens – to feed their households and beautify their homes.
Becoming Naturegirl
I was introduced to the world of plants by my Grandmother (Nana) who traveled to Detroit from the Mississippi Delta in the 1920’s. I was born and raised in Harlem growing plants from seed and being taught by Nana (she raised me) that plants were given to us by God to enjoy and protect not to exploit. Plants in my household were treated with the utmost of respect and compassion in recognition of their ability to heal, nourish, cloth and protect. She lovingly gave plants names and frequently gave cuttings to family and neighbors who admired her “green thumb”.
I came to the University at Buffalo in 1967 and quickly decorated my room with plants. I was given the name Naturegirl. I not only had a green thumb but I was seen as a plant doctor by my classmates. They brought their dying plants to my room seeking advice on how to save them. I gave advice on plants that could survive dorm life. My super power was my ability to bring plants back to life. After reading Silent Spring and Diet for a Small Planet I began to see the importance of growing native plants, protecting the habitat of pollinators, and protecting our water from pollution. As a result of my education and personal experience I became a naturalist and lived life accordingly.
Ordering My Steps
Looking back is always 20/20. My life was changed when I met Ruby Butts. She was an elder who owned a health food store adjacent to 11 East Utica, a building that was purchased and renovated by myself and 6 others in 1971. My deep dive into health and wellness was nurtured by Mrs. Butts who was my mentor, a mother figure and teacher. A vegetarian and herbalist, Mrs. Butts built on the foundation provided by my grandmother. In contrast, Mrs. Butts was a business woman, vegetarian and herbalist who traveled the world. Both believed our relationship with nature is one of interdependence, connectedness and mutuality rather than separateness, oppression and dominance.
Blending Activism with Food Sovereignty
As a UB student I was a founding member of the Black Student Union. It was not unusual for a Black woman during the Black Power Movement to openly embrace and uplift the agrarian roots of Black People. Growing your own food was a revolutionary act of defiance framed by Fannie Lou Hamer (founder of Freedom Farms), who taught that if you can feed your family, no one can boss you around. Activists acknowledged the connection of food to power but none drove that point home like the Black Panthers who fed black children breakfast before they went to school. BSU members began volunteering to feed school children attending Build Academy. As a result of this experience I began to study how our health and wellbeing is impacted by having access to green spaces and fresh nutritious food along with how land theft and food sovereignty is a dominant factor in oppressing Black people. As Leah Penniman teaches “to feed yourself is to free yourself”. In 2020 I founded Buffalo Freedom Gardens. The Freedom Gardens initiative was designed to inspire resilience and independence for Buffalo residents most impacted by the coronavirus. With assistance from the Sabres Foundation, Grassroots Gardens, Seeding Resilience, Food for the Spirit, BFEN, home gardeners were given the tools, resources, and knowledge that enabled them to grow food to help feed their families.
In 2023, Buffalo Freedom Gardens was granted permission by the City of Buffalo to establish a food forest garden in the JFK park after receiving a small grant from Cornell Cooperative Extension. This garden will provide educational classes and hire residents as garden stewards to take care of the food forest while being trained as Master Gardeners. The vision I have for the city is the development of neighborhoods organized around green space, abundant trees, and food hubs that provide access to nutritious food using low maintenance food forests and home grown.
Flower Appreciation
I love flowers, particularly roses. Roses are associated with love. I believe love is the most powerful emotion in the universe. Love heals, inspires, motivates, and educates. Love is the foundation of all that is good and godly. Roses are used to celebrate special occasions like Mother’s and Valentine’s Day, weddings and birthdays. They are beautiful as they come in a variety of colors and sizes. Roses were the favorite flower of my Auntie Wilma. Every time I smell their fragrance I think of her. Tupac’s posthumous album was entitled “The rose that grew from concrete” based on a poem he wrote using the same title. It reads:
“Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Proving nature’s law is wrong. It learned to walk without having feet. Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams, it learned to breathe fresh air. Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else ever cared.”
Who knew the resilience of a rose would inspire such a moving metaphor for those who broke free of the constraints of poverty and racism! It is a perfect metaphor for my life.
Flower Impacts
Flowers are more than beautiful. Growing flowers are a source of food and habitat for pollinators like insects and birds. They play a vital role in nature. Their essence gives us perfume and healing potions that support health and relieve stress. I love growing flowers in the vegetable garden! Every garden should include roses.
