Journei Bimwala is a Bronx native who has dedicated her life to educating Bronx communities on the importance of using native plants. She is an active leader at the Foodway in Concrete Plant Park which is the only edible food forest in NYC.
Journei began her skills as an educator through her homeschool program, Each One Carry One. She now educates Alliance staff, partners and volunteers—as well as the broader community—about the importance of medicinal and native plants and how we can incorporate them into our everyday life. During 2020, she led countless virtual tours of the Foodway and cooking demonstrations that brought nature and healing to hundreds of people who were isolated and often trapped indoors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Journei remains a key leader in the development of the Foodway and shaping the way that we view the use of public landscapes. With her hundreds of hours of volunteer work we have been able to connect with Bronx communities in a unique way that would not have been possible without her.
Through Creatives Rebuild New York (CRNY) she will help the Alliance to further develop programs that will educate the community on traditional knowledge and cultural practices around plants, foraging for food, nutrition, and the historical significance of the Foodway.
CRNY, a project of the Tides Center, is a three-year, $125 million investment in the financial stability of New York State artists and the organizations that employ them. This continuation of our collaboration with Journei was made possible through support from CRNY’s Artist Employment Program.
