Richmond CA’s Groundbreaking Progress on Access, Resiliency, Mobility, and Policy
Richmond, CA, has been the site of exemplary progressive community organizing and political mobilization these past few years, and it is home to a number of groundbreaking projects, and some exciting new initiatives on the horizon include: a 10-acre farm and resiliency center in North Richmond; California’s First ADA accessible community garden on the Richmond Greenway; innovative approaches to getting youth access into higher education; radically boosted cycling infrastructure; and much more. Come hear from local Richmond activists and leaders as they share stories, best practices, and fresh perspectives on what building a genuinely progressive community looks and feels like. Hosted by Adam Boisvert, Deputy Director and Director of Education Programs at Urban Tilth. With Najari Smith, Executive Director at RICH City Rides; Arleide Santos, Community Organizer at Urban Tilth; Anselmo Ramirez, co-founder, Moving Forward; Chito Floriano, Director of Farm and Gardens at Urban Tilth.
The Marsh Theater
March 30th | 3:00 pm to 4:15 pm
Panelists
Adam Boisvert
Urban Tilth
Deputy Director
Adam Boisvert has spent the past 13 years growing community and school garden and food production programs with the food justice organization Urban Tilth in Richmond, California. Currently, Adam serves as Urban Tilth’s Deputy Director and as a teacher-of-record for the Urban Agriculture Academy at Richmond High School, a year-round elective course rooted in hands-on, experiential learning.
Najari Smith
Executive Director
RICH City Rides
Najari Smith is the Executive Director of Rich City Rides, a Richmond, CA-based organization he founded in 2012 that uses bike ownership and bicycling as base-building vehicles for healthy civic change, and that has been transitioning into the broader community-focused development through the incubation of new enterprises. For over 10 years, Najari and Rich City Rides have worked to unite communities, transform vacant lots into vibrant parks, make closed storefronts into worker-owned cooperatives and strip away the barriers to using bicycles as viable, healthy green transportation options.
Anselmo Ramirez
Co-Founder
Moving Forward
Anselmo Ramirez, a Richmond, CA native, co-founded Moving Forward (a fiscally sponsored project of Urban Tilth) to uplift and empower the Richmond community through health, academics, and community service. Since 2017, Anselmo and the Moving Forward team have: held an annual 5K fundraiser event, raising over $60,000 for Richmond youth pursuing higher education; hosted 100+ community clean-ups and 100+ health and wellness related events; and supplied thousands of local youth with backpacks, school supplies, and shoes to ensure local youth feel confident and prepared when stepping into their classrooms.
Chito Floriano
Director of Farm and Gardens
Urban Tilth
Marcos “Chito” Floriano, who first worked the land in the corn fields in Pajacuarán, Michoacán, where his father is from, is the Director of Farm and Gardens at Richmond, CA’s renowned grassroots community organization, Urban Tilth. Driven by a desire to feed his community, encourage healthy lifestyles and end generational disease, Chito began his activist trajectory at Richmond’s RYSE Youth Center and also has a background in teaching photo and video production and as a touring musician.
Arleide Santos
