Where you reside should not determine your access to healthy and affordable food
By Amelia Bartlett
One main principle drives the Rooted East Collective’s work across East Knoxville, where it is dismantling food apartheid through community-driven solutions.
“The collective emerged out of the needs of community and was co-created with community as we contribute to the larger food justice movement globally,” Rooted East explains, emphasizing its role in a broader network of change.
Founded by Femeika Elliott and pastor Chris Battle, the collective focuses primarily on serving those south of Magnolia in East Knoxville, working to restore “power back to the Black community by increasing food access to fresh produce and reimagining how we care for one another and our health.” But its vision extends beyond neighborhood boundaries; it aims to build solidarity “with amazing human beings and allies across other social justice movements here in Knoxville, Tennessee, and outside of the United States.”
The work shows up in concrete – or, more frequently, wood-plank – ways throughout the community. Rooted East’s Home Garden Program installs 4-by-8 raised garden beds complete with soil, compost and mulch at homes across zip codes 37914, 37915 and 37917, specifically for Black residents in East Knoxville. Participants commit to attending classes, maintaining their gardens with organic practices and sharing their harvest at Ujamaa Bartering Markets where East Knoxville growers can “share the abundance” with neighbors.
The collective’s upcoming programming includes heart-healthy cooking classes, winter herbalism and breadmaking workshops, all rooted in the mission of building “a self-sufficient and community-led food system.” Working alongside collaborators including Laila Malik, Tom Ruggles, Mak Harmon and Kalil White, it is fostering what it describes as “collective education, skills training and holistic wellbeing.”
For Rooted East, success is measured in different ways: “Our favorite is listening to those we serve. Whether it’s feedback or highlights from their growing experiences – impact means nothing without community.” This community-centered approach guides everything from programming to the collective’s vision for the future.
Looking ahead, the collective’s focus remains on “sustaining community connection and preserving our green spaces as land stewards.” Its goal is ambitious yet grounded: to bring “not just East Knoxville’s Black community together, but all of Knoxville by growing people and food.”
For those wanting to support this work, the collective offers a three-part path to engagement.
First, educate yourself on food apartheid while challenging your own biases within our local, regional and global food systems. The collective’s ArcGIS Story Map “Rooted in Liberation” offers an engaging primer on food apartheid, which is available to access free through its social channels.
Second, take an active interest in the welfare of your community as a way to build stronger relationships with those outside of your immediate circle. This can include researching local groups, attending organized meetups and events or organizing around a need you discover along the way.
Third, volunteer. “Volunteers play an essential role in our programming as we provide free agricultural services and education – the labor of constructing garden beds and tilling soil as well as seed sorting – every human has a role to play in this work.” Rooted East emphasizes that support comes in many forms: “Showing up in how you were able to is what matters. It may not always look monetary or physical, but it may look like providing your expertise or career experience to the infrastructure of sustaining grassroots movements.”
As grocery stores continue to close and federal support programs face restrictions, the collective implores that “community relations and micro local food systems must be strengthened. All of the social justice movements are interconnected as food and land sovereignty are our top priorities – we are excited where the collective is heading next year,” it says, embodying the hope and determination that powers community-led change, one garden at a time.
Get to know Rooted East Collective through Instagram (@rootedeastknox), where you can apply to volunteer, attend a class and support its work toward food justice and sovereignty.
