Jim Embry (born James Gilbert Embry; April 23, 1949, in Richmond, Kentucky) is a lifelong civil rights activist, eco-activist farmer, social justice advocate, educator, public speaker, photographer, scuba diver, writer. He is active in the local food and sustainable agriculture movement. In 2006, he founded the Sustainable Communities Network. Embry is the Director of the Sustainable Communities Network. He has over 50 years of experience as a social activist.[1][2][3][4]
Jim Embry | |
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| Born | James Gilbert Embry April 23, 1949 Richmond, Kentucky |
| Occupation(s) | Educator, farmer, eco-activist, public speaker |
| Website | http://sustainlex.org |
Early life
editEmbry comes from an African American activist family. He is the grandson and great-grandson of farmers and community activists. His ancestors were enslaved Africans that were brought to Kentucky in the 1800s.[5]
In April 1968, Embry attended Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s funeral and served as funeral marshal.[6]
Education
edit1974 – Bachelor of Science, Zoology, University of Kentucky[citation needed]
Career
editOn March 5, 1964, as a teenager, Embry attended the march on Frankfort, Kentucky, a call for legislation to end discrimination, and segregation. It was an interracial protest with around 10,000 Kentuckians. Martin Luther King Jr. and Jackie Robinson participated, along with other civil rights activists and the folk singers Peter, Paul, and Mary.[7][8][9]
In 1967, he attended the University of Kentucky. While attending the University of Kentucky, he was involved with the Black Student Union. He participated in what were called "bitch-ins". Embry says the "bitch-in" gatherings were where students met and had discussions of issues such as the Vietnam War and the killings in Cambodia. They had a student newspaper, the Kentucky Kernel.[citation needed] In a 1978 oral history interview, he mentioned that at the Black Student gatherings, they talked about student representation on the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees. He mentioned also that they advocated for banning the song "Dixie" from being played at football games and other campus events.[citation needed]
In 2001, Embry moved to Detroit to be the Director of the James and Grace Lee Boggs Center to Nurture Community Leadership. In Detroit, his work included urban agriculture and food justice.[citation needed]
In 2018, he was a founding member of the worker co-operative Wild Fig Bookstore.[10]
Embry's work is local, national, and International in advocating for sustainable communities. He participates in international forums such as the World Social Forum in Italy and Terra Madre/International Slow Food Gatherings as a six-time US delegate.[11]
Embry studied organic farming in Cuba.[citation needed]
Embry is a member of the Black Farmers and Urban Growers conference. He is the state governor of Slow Food USA for Kentucky. He is a member of Black Soil, Good Foods Cooperative, and other food justice organizations.[12] As a writer and photographer, Embry has contributed articles and photographs to We Are Each Other's Harvest, Sustainable World Source Book, Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky, Kentucky African American Encyclopedia, Latino Studies, Biodynamics Journal, African American Heritage Guide, Stella Natura, and other publications.[citation needed]
Embry's photographs have appeared in exhibitions, books, hospitals, galleries, and magazines.[13][14]
Awards
edit- 2009 Chrysalis House Outstanding Service award, women healing from drug abuse[citation needed]
- 2014 Environmental Commission award for garden project for women experiencing domestic violence[citation needed]
- 2018 Honored at the North American Association for Environmental Education Conference (NAAEE) the Rosa Parks and Grace Lee Boggs Award for leadership in environmental justice, ecological education and advocacy[15]
- 2018 Snail Blazer Award Slow Food Nations[citation needed]
- Audrey Grevious Award by Carter G. Woodson Academy[citation needed]
- 2023 James Beard Leadership Awards[16]
References
edit- ^ "Sadieville Rosenwald School serves as guide post". News-Graphic.
- ^ "Jim Embry". Slow Food Nations.
- ^ "Jim Embry". TN Local Food.
- ^ "Jim Embry, Eco-Activist, and Ace Weekly's Model Citizen for 2007". Ace Magazine. 20 December 2007.
- ^ "Food Justice in Appalachia | Dr George Washington Carver".
- ^ "Interview with James Embry". Kentucky Oral History. July 12, 1987.
- ^ "MLK Jr. March on Frankfort | Kentucky's Black History and Culture".
- ^ "1964 Civil Rights March on Frankfort (Kentucky) Oral History Project".
- ^ "50th Anniversary of the March on Frankfort | Connections". KET. 23 February 2014.
- ^ "Jim Embry • Slow Food Nations".
- ^ "Jim Embry". Biodynamic Association.
- ^ "KimmyVille: Lexington's Jim Embry Chosen as Delegate to Slow Food International Congress". 28 September 2012.
- ^ "Jim Embry".
- ^ "We Are All Artists with Multiple Avenues of Creativity". Public Republic.
- ^ "Rosa Parks and Grace Lee Boggs Award".
- ^ "The 2023 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Nominees | James Beard Foundation". www.jamesbeard.org. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
External links
edit- "Jim Embry interview". PBS.
- "Interview with James Embry". Kentucky Oral History. October 22, 2021.
- "Oral History interview with Jim Embry". Kentucky Oral History. November 14, 1978.
- "Interview with Jim Embry". Nunn Center. December 21, 2018.
- Community Gardens with Jim Embry on YouTube
- "Jim Embry-Interview Sustainable Communities Network". WXXI-TV. 2023-04-16.
See also
edit- "Dr. George Washington Carver & the Food and Environmental Justice Movement". Food Justice Exhibit at WVU.
- "We are the Seeds of our Ancestors' Dreams". Ancestral Vibrations Guide our Connection to the Land. 15 October 2019.
- "The Relevance of the Legacy of George Washington Carver". Political Ecology.