a conversation with Ashley Gripper

Ashley Gripper is a Philly-born food justice and land sovereignty advocate currently working on her PhD at Harvard University. Ashley and I talk about her work (spoiler alert-- she's doing A LOT), her experience navigating the "Ivy League" experience, and how mental health really factors into all of our work. Ashley is a force to be reckoned with and she's changing the world with her grit, passion, and grace. 

Ashley's bio from her website:

philly born, boston based.

i have been active in food justice and land sovereignty movements for almost a decade and have built relationships with urban and rural growers from around the country. i was first introduced to the idea of growing food as a tool for dismantling systemic oppression at the Black Farmers and Urban Gardeners Conference in 2013. while i’ve always cared deeply about social justice and health equity, it wasn’t until attending this conference that i developed a passion for food and land sovereignty. this passion now guides my research and environmental justice work. 

i have experience in fostering urban design that has explicit public health impacts and benefits. specifically, i consulted with architectural firms and NYCHA to design spaces conducive to healthy eating and agriculture in public housing. i’m also an active member of Soil Generation (SG), a black and brown-led coalition of urban farmers, gardeners, and food justice activists. through my work with SG, i am a part of the team responsible for designing the urban agriculture plan for the entire city of Philadelphia.

currently, i am a PhD candidate at harvard. (also got an mph from way back when). my dissertation explores the impacts of urban agriculture on the mental, spiritual, and social wellbeing of black folks. through a competitive national fellowship with Health Policy Research Scholars sponsored by RWJF, i am also learning how to translate research into policy that will improve community health. i hope to bring many of the skills and knowledge i’m gaining back home to Philly one day.

Ashley's website: https://www.ashgrip.com/?fbclid=IwAR0jf2b32hutaUVdMtt0SSPYeK-FpVEsGx5UD2tSYTYtitpLcaKqNdkUMds