Black Creek Community Farm is pleased to welcome Ohemaa Boateng as our new Executive Director!
Ohemaa Boateng, a long time resident in the Jane and Finch community, has been a leading organizer for urban agriculture, social justice, food security and food sovereignty in Toronto. Ohemaa started her journey into food justice work at Black Creek Community Farm as a farm staff – spearheading the Farm School program, coordinating family and children activities and leading the weekly farmers markets in front of Jane and Finch Mall and at Driftwood Community centre. Ohemaa advocated for fair access to fresh locally grown and affordable food, raised awareness to the food injustices experienced in the community by racialized residents, and developed her urban farming skills. In 2014, Ohemaa, alongside the BCCF team, received the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Award for the innovative work happening at the farm.
Prior to accepting this position, Ohemaa was the Program Manager for Green Thumb Growing Kids, a non-profit organization that cultivates environmental stewardship through hands-on garden and food education for racialized children and their communities. She also started a peer-mentoring support initiative for youth, mothers, and their children in the Jane and Finch and surrounding neighbourhoods called Baby Steps. Through this initiative she provided mobile childcare services, and advocated for parents who were incarcerated or out on parole. Ohemaa is an active member in various grassroots groups like Black Creek Food Justice Network, Jane and Finch Education Action Group, Black Food Sovereignty Initiative Toronto, Toronto Backyard Chickens, Jane and Finch Action Against Poverty, and Jane Finch Political Conversation Cafe.
As a single mother of two, and a Black urban farmer in the Jane and Finch community, Ohemaa is raising her children to be stewards of the land and understand where their food comes from. She has facilitated workshops for children, youth, local residents and seniors in the Black Creek, Regent Park and Lawrence Heights communities around raising backyard chickens, health and fitness, environmental stewardship, urban agriculture and growing Afro-Indigenous foods. Ohemaa is passionate about mindfulness, growing food sustainably, food literacy, environmental stewardship and Black and Indigenous food sovereignty. Ohemaa is excited to bring her unique perspective, grassroots leadership, and commitment to community engagement, social justice, food security and food sovereignty to her community.
She thanks everyone for their support as we embark on growing our farm and accomplishing our visions set by residents in the Jane and Finch community!
Learn more about our work at www.blackcreekfarm.ca
Credit:Black Creek Community Farm
