When Kemba Shakur was young, she looked forward to her family camping trips to Yosemite National Parks. Shakur grew up in housing projects in San Francisco, but she said she loved the smell of the redwoods. She felt like the camping trips “washed away the stresses of the city.”
When she moved to Oakland, California in 1994, she found herself in a crime-ridden urban neighborhood with no trees. No tree, Shakur said, “just block after block of concrete.” As a former corrections officer, Shakur said the “prison grounds looked better.”
That’s when Shakur decided to take action. In 1999, she founded Urban Releaf. Urban Releaf was established to help revitalize communities through tree planting, garden projects, and environmental education. How many kids in the city get that kind of training?
She started out slowly, planting elms and sycamores she purchased with monies from grants and donations. Shakur may not have consciously realized it, but studies show that planting a lot of trees in a neighborhood may improve the mental health of its inhabitants. Urban Releaf also brings together the community as residents help revamp the look of their neighborhoods.
But, Shakur had another passion too – helping youth. Urban Releaf strives to help at risk youth by exposing them to areas like plant sciences and arboriculture – things they might never have been exposed to otherwise. This could potentially give them training for future jobs. Urban Releaf has mentored 15,000 teens since its inception.
Since her little idea took off, Shakur and Urban Releaf has planted around 7,000 trees in neighborhoods. It has also given another 8,000 trees to schools.
How do people in the neighborhoods feel about Urban Releaf? Renee Abdullah of Oakland said, “Her trees have changed out streets. When the neighborhood looks good, people feel good.”
You can learn more about Urban Releaf by visiting its website.