JIIVE (Justice Impacted Individuals Voting Effectively) and their community partners, Zintkala Luta, Project Sweetie Pie, have been awarded a $3,000 Mini Grant from the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment (IonE) to support their innovative "Just Us Gardens" project in North Minneapolis. The 18-month grant will fund the creation of a vibrant community garden that raises awareness about poor food quality in Minnesota prisons while providing fresh produce and healing spaces for formerly incarcerated individuals and their families.
The "Just Us Gardens" project features a unique design where growing beds are sized to match prison sleeping mats (27" by 75" and usually about 4" thick), symbolically illustrating the abundance that can grow within the constraints of incarceration. Each bed will be designed by currently incarcerated individuals who pick the vegetables, herbs and flowers planted in their beds, and whose stories and perspectives on food justice will be featured throughout the garden space. The project aims to reach at least 500 community members through education, engagement, and advocacy events while providing pathways for people returning from prison to heal and reconnect with their communities through urban agriculture.
CURA has collaborated with JIIVE over the past year through the Kris Nelson Community-Based Research Program, supporting research projects examining food quality in Minnesota prisons and conducting geospatial analysis of prison-owned land in the state. Institute on the Environment Mini Grants are designed to support and spark collaborative projects addressing environmental and sustainability challenges across the University of Minnesota five-campus system, Extension, and outreach centers.
Lee Guekguezian
Lee Guekguezian (she/her) is a community-based researcher committed to decision-making justice and elevating lived experiences through research. As a program director at the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA), they lead initiatives that connect university resources with community-driven projects across Minnesota. Their work focuses on facilitating trust-based collaborations, translating complex findings into accessible narratives, and using data visualization to explore patterns of displacement, ownership, and investment.
Lee holds a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from UCLA and a degree in Geography from Macalester College. Their experience spans affordable housing policy and funding, spatial analysis, and program evaluation, working to democratize research and data to amplify community narratives. Outside of work, Lee enjoys biking around the Twin Cities, making rugs, and being a regular at iPho in St. Paul.
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