Communal Garden
Karamu is a communal garden created for the good of the wider community.
Black Storytellers Alliance / Community / Garden
A Place of Joyous Gathering
Karamu Garden
A communal urban garden rooted in joy, shared stewardship, food access, cultural gathering, and neighborhood care.
Founded
2008
Created by BSA on an urban parcel at Legacy Village Townhomes as a community-centered garden and gathering space.
Garden Story / 01
Karamu Means Joyous Gathering
A garden built for community.
BSA founded Karamu (Swahili for a “Place of joyous gathering”) in 2008 on an urban parcel of land owned by Legacy Village Townhomes.
BSA successfully negotiated a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the owner, the late Brother Archie Givens.
Karamu Garden continues to represent more than a place to grow food. It is a shared neighborhood space where cultivation, gathering, learning, and community care come together.
Core Commitments / 02
Guiding Goals
The goals set forth for Karamu.
These commitments shape how the garden serves the neighborhood — with shared responsibility, access, and community benefit at the center.
No Private Plots
There is no ownership of individual plots within Karamu.
Free Produce
All produce is free to community residents whether or not they worked in the garden.
Not for Sale
No produce from the Karamu Garden may be sold.
Open Learning
Any community resident may work in Karamu and learn proper farming techniques free of charge.
Stewardship / 03
How BSA Supports the Space
Supporting the garden so the community can use it well.
Our primary responsibility for Karamu is securing seedlings, plants, and water so that community residents may use the storytelling and meeting space in a manner that is respectful of the Karamu Garden and the surrounding neighborhood at no charge.
Karamu is designed to be both practical and cultural — a place where growing food, gathering people, and honoring community can exist together.
FREE
Open to the Community
The garden is intended to remain accessible to neighborhood residents as a shared community resource.
STORY
Meeting + Storytelling Space
The space supports gathering, reflection, exchange, and respectful community use alongside the garden itself.
CARE
Cultivation + Learning
Karamu creates opportunities for residents to learn and practice proper farming techniques in community.
Visit + Connect / 04
Rooted in North Minneapolis.
Karamu Community Garden is located at 1600 Plymouth Ave. N, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
For more info contact:
Mariama Imani
mariama.gillespie0@gmail.com
mariama.gillespie0@gmail.com
Reach out to learn more about Karamu Garden, community engagement, and ways to connect with the space.