One in five American adults experience a mental illness or mental health condition each year, but wellness assistance is arguably more necessary now than it has been in some time, given anxieties of the pandemic and the nationwide civic unrest that has put longstanding issues of racism, injustice and inequality front and center. Even before the pandemic and unrest came to define American life in 2020, a majority of adults supported mental health assistance options, with a 2018 report from the National Council for Behavioral Health showing six out of 10 Americans were either seeking help for themselves or their loved ones.

From the moment we wake up until we go to sleep, it’s estimated that we are exposed to between 2,000 and 5,000 advertising messages <em>daily</em>. This includes ads we see on TV, hear on the radio, see on billboards, on the Internet, in magazines we pick up while waiting for a doctor’s appointment, on display at stores we frequent, on Facebook and other social media, and in conversations between friends, family and coworkers. Whether this is subliminal or overt selling, the point is, we’re inundated with advertising and messages in multiple forms that seek to influence our decision-making. A huge part of that messaging is to instill the belief that White is right. These advertisements tell us that straight hair is beautiful while curly and coily hair should be “tamed and controlled,” that White skin and features are more beautiful than Black and Brown skin and features, that White people are smarter and more accomplished, that White history is more important and that White lives, not Black lives, are the ones that really matter.

Urban farming isn’t a new concept, but it has experienced a major resurgence in cities. Residents in urban centers throughout the U.S. have reclaimed abandoned spaces and turned them into community gardens. Detroit has been an epicenter of the movement to bring neighbors, organizations and community leaders together to grow and share food.