Reading Journal Eight is about Willow Rosenthal, an author and founder of Slicker Farms.
Throughout the reading, one of the quotes I underlined is ‘People who worked the hardest-the farm workers- seemed to be the poorest.’ This shows the unfair life the farmers are going through. Another quote, ‘transmitted his love of gardening’ tells how a skill that is passed down can become a pursuit of happiness. In Rosenthal’s case, gardening was one of her favorite pastimes. The quote, ‘I knew I would be a farmer and sell at the farmers markets to rich people’ represents the Rosenthal’s thoughtfulness and ability to see the consequences of her actions clearly.
I am impressed by Rosenthal’s virtuous dream. Experiencing Oakland’s poor access to food made her to think about bringing changes to the food system in Oakland. She had ‘the idea of farming in Oakland and of providing food for the community.’ This thought of her depicts her concern towards the society in Oakland. She was a proactive person for letting the dream to turn into reality. She began to initiate changes by buying an empty land for $11,000. Then, step-by-step, she developed City Slicker Farms. I adore her for conducting a big project that started from just a piece of land.
Reading this profile induces me to think about utilization of skills. Sometimes, people’s skill cannot be seen because the people have no opportunity to express them. This can be due to lack of motivation and materials or instruments needed to express those skills. Rosenthal realized that the people in Oakland have the ability to conduct the farming in their own house, but they have no instruments and materials needed to do so. Hence, she created a mean to provide the things needed for the society.
Willow Rosenthal is among the great examples of women who change the way of eating!