Harambee Community Garden

Contact Information: Visit the Root Riot Urban Garden Network website
Address: 455 N Waller
Neighborhood/Community Area: Austin
Garden Established: 2011
Protected by NeighborSpace: 2019
Social Media/Website:
Facebook: Root Riot Urban Garden Network
Website: Root Riot Urban Garden Network
Community Partners: Douglass Academy High School, St Martin’s Episcopal Church, Glenn Art Farm, Green Community Connections, One Earth Film Festival, Youth Guidance, and The Chicago Public Library.

About the Garden: Located at the corner of Race and Waller on two oversized lots in the Austin neighborhood, Harambee Community Garden is comprised of an allotment garden and community gathering/performance area which is set back from the sidewalk and surrounded by perennial flower beds, shrubs and trees. The site also includes several beehives and hosts goats on its southern portion.

Since its founding in 2011 the garden has engaged with surrounding community institutions— a senior home, Douglass Academy High School, St Martin’s Episcopal Church— to create a unique community space out of a nearly 30 year vacant lot. For example, the garden has partnered with Douglass Academy to help students complete their service learning hours. In addition to serving as a site for the community to grow their own vegetables and increase their gardening skills,

Harambee has served as a venue for community-led programming, hosting activities from numerous community organizations – Glenn Art Farm, Green Community Connections, One Earth Film Festival, Youth Guidance, and The Chicago Public Library. Harambee is one garden in the Root-Riot Network, which has two primary locations on the West side and is dedicated to creating opportunities for people to connect with one another and learn and discover the joys of growing their own food.