DJ Freedem wasn’t looking to start a movement. But a tweet calling for reparations for Black women through Cash App inspired him. Combining his creativity, love of bringing people together, and his horticulture background, he took action on social media, too.
Freedem knew that science shows the benefits of houseplants – such as improved mental health, better air quality, and in some cases, access to healthy food. Among 2020’s images of lynchings, police violence, and legal injustices, he made an audacious demand: If you’re white, give a Black person a plant this instant!
Something incredible happened.
Black followers commented about plants they’d been looking for – and white followers responded with plants they were willing to give to them! It was through those exchanges that the Underground Plant Trade was born.
Now an online community with users across the globe, the Underground Plant Trade is bringing equity and reparations – through plants. Black people without access or the money to purchase expensive plants now have white purchasers who ensure they receive the plants they want!
House plants DO support Black well-being – but we’re often priced out of obtaining them. The Underground Plant Trade is an innovative way to redistribute resources. We must always remember the ways to address social justice are endless. Black creativity remains undefeated!