`ALL NATIONS INDIGEFEST' CELEBRATES ALL CULTURES
Three Sisters Gardens held second annual event Saturday
Three Sisters Gardens held its second annual “All Nations Indigefest” Saturday in West Sacramento celebrating all cultures through art, music, food and resources.
“Part community-building event, part fundraiser — the overall mission of this event is to inspire folks to make a difference in their communities,” the event's flyer stated. “Indigefest is a free festival focused on fostering and celebrating community.”
Live performances by Kozmik Force, Tynya Beverly, Winter Jendayi and more entertained attendees from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at River City Farm at 485 Regatta Lane in West Sacramento.
Simren Kaur, administrative coordinator for Three Sisters Gardens since last August, helps apply and manage grants while also handling payroll and ensuring the organization is running smoothly.
“This event is a collaboration between a lot of really different people coming together because we have a collective vision for the community of Broderick, and really just the broader world,” she explained.
She noted that the event also supported and highlighted the nonprofit's Ag Youth Leadership Development program, which is a paid internship program for primarily local youth who have been impacted by the justice system.
“They work for us about 15 to 20 hours a week and we pay them minimum wage to come learn some skills and really connect with the earth,” she stressed. “The way working with the land and connecting with this organization has impacted the course of their lives is really incredible and really remarkable.”
Nikki Abeledo, co-founder and consultant for consulting service Brown Blossom Rising, helped organize and supported the event.
“This event is important because of the work that Three Sisters Gardens does in terms of land back initiatives and also helping at-risk youth, teaching them skills like learning how to be stronger stewards to the land,” she emphasized.
Additionally, she highlighted food insecurity's impact on communities of color, particularly Black and Native American communities.
“That's why I really believe in
the work that Three Sisters Gardens continues to do and has been doing, and that's the work that Brown Blossom Rising aspires to support,” she added.
Alfred Melbourne, owner of Three Sisters Gardens, said the event was a call for the community to share their message and hear from others.
“The calling is for folks to get back to their roots and to tap into our ancestral knowledge so that they can make that connection with the earth mother,” he explained. “That's what's been missing.”
Melbourne, a formerly incarcerated West Sacramento native, created Three Sisters Gardens in 2018 with the main goal of giving back to the community by inspiring and empowering youth through gardening.
The placement of his event within the Broderick and Bryte neighborhoods was also intentional because it's where he grew up and faced food insecurity, overcriminalization of youth and gang injunctions.
“Being born and raised here, we don't have any other events like this and it's nice to be able to inspire and uplift the people,” Melbourne emphasized. “We need more fun things to do and open spaces just to come out, relax and take a deep breath.”
Three Sisters Gardens has grown significantly in its six years and has become a beacon of hope and opportunity for many locals.
Melbourne argued that his nonprofit is “leading the way when it comes to inspiring and empowering not just our youth, but our whole community.”
“We're tasked to grow in a community that has been held back… and we're working hard to change the narrative and do for ourselves,” he remarked.
Last year, the nonprofit donated 22,000 pounds of food to low-income and food-insecure individuals and families within West Sacramento.
“And I'm formerly incarcerated,” Melbourne highlighted.
He argued that his nonprofit shows the benefits that can occur when a community is given access to land and the ability to grow food for themselves.
“And this isn't about us trying to get politicians to come out here and promising stuff or taking pictures with us,” he remarked. “We just want the resources that are ours already so that we can do this and show that we don't need folks coming out here and doing it for us.”
To learn more about Melbourne and his nonprofit, visit 3sistersgardens.com.