Why Knoxville’s Chris Battle draws national spotlight
Chris Battle is already well-known in Knoxville and East Tennessee for his work creating BattleField Farm & Gardens.
From the organization’s beginnings as a “gleaning fence,” providing fresh vegetables next to Tabernacle Baptist Church, to the founding of BattleField Farm & Gardens in 2018 and the delivery of fresh fruits and vegetables to several communities free of charge, Battle has worked tirelessly to address food insecurity in East Knoxville.
In the past year, Battle has been the keynote speaker for the American Horticultural
Society National Convention, presented at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, and been honored with a Community Service award from Knoxville’s MLK Commemorative Commission.
But now, Battle has the potential to reach a wider national audience, with a Jan. 13 spread in People magazine.
“I got this call that I let go to voice mail, because it was from L.A.,” Battle said with a laugh.
The caller, People senior writer Johnny Dodd, left a message, but Battle remained suspicious, checking him out online before returning the call.
“My first question was, ‘Is this a prank?’” Battle said. “I still don’t know how he found out about us . ... This whole thing has been kind of surreal. I didn’t really believe it ‘til I went to Barnes & Noble and picked up three copies.”
Battle, posing for People with a fedora on his head and a chicken clasped to his chest, told the magazine, “Learning that people here could not get access to food to nourish their bodies felt ridiculous to me.”
Battle joked that he loved the attention, but added on a more serious note, “The issue of food disparity in the community is really what I’m trying to draw attention to, so people don’t have to go hungry.”
Liz Kellar is a Tennessee Connect reporter. Email liz.kellar@knoxnews.com.