Title
Recognizing and celebrating Dr. Carol Simmons, Nyoca Carr, Estelle Vaughn, Pela McFee, Carolyn Booker, Winnie Harris, and the Black women who devote their lives to nourishing their neighbors and communities across Philadelphia, on the occasion of Black History Month.
Body
WHEREAS, Philadelphia's community gardens are a staple of the neighborhoods they enrich - and of the nutrition in those neighborhoods. Reclaiming unused land, community gardeners bring in their neighbors to help support the land, teach young people how to care for and nurture the land, and create healthy fresh food for their community from the land; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Carol Simmons, the Executive Director of the Black Farmers, celebrated her 80th birthday on February 20, 2026, has been a visionary leader, educator, and organizer whose life's work has transformed abandoned and overlooked spaces into places of growth, hope, and possibility; and through her tireless efforts to remediate soil, coax crops from neglected land, and teach her community the importance of recycling, composting, and environmental stewardship, she has empowered neighbors to care for both the earth and one another; and with open arms, she has welcomed friends and strangers alike into this sacred work-passing on knowledge, cultivating leadership, and inspiring collective pride in their blocks; and guided by her belief in "painting a corner of the universe with beauty" and doing something productive in the name of a better world, she has left an enduring legacy of restoration, dignity, and love that continues to uplift the City of Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, Nyoca Carr has devoted more than 25 years of unwavering service to caring for urban gardens and community farm spaces-quietly and faithfully painting, picking up trash, tending the grounds, and ensuring these sacred spaces remain clean, safe, and welcoming places where neighbors can gather, heal, and connect; and through her acts of love, she has not only beautified...
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