Summer sun, rich Delta soil, and a centralized location for community cohesion served as the ingredients to help a group of young girls in Indianola find themselves and develop purpose. Marilyn James, organizer and adult mentor for Junior Empowerment by Women Encouraging Leadership through Sisterhood (J.E.W.E.L.S.) has used the Roosevelt Neighborhood Community Garden as a tool to enrich the lives of Indianola’s girls for the past six years. “We were able to get started through contributions and assistance from Indianola Promise Community and other supporters and we’ve just sustained our effort ever since,” she said. “And we plan to continue what we are doing with or without funding.”
On Friday, five of the 13 JEWELS arrived a few minutes earlier than their scheduled 10 a.m. start time to begin planting pumpkins. The garden needed some work with weeding and aerating the soil. James’ husband, Dexter, demonstrated the proper techniques for removing unwanted vegetation and talked about the importance of ensuring that plants get proper nutrients like phosphorous. “The best part about working in the garden is just getting experience and learning new things,” said Kaydence Hemmingway, an 11-year-old sixth grader. “I also like spending time with the other girls.”
Kaydence and her friend, Rayza Usery, are a couple of newcomers to JEWELS and both love working the garden but are slowly adapting to consuming what they grow. When James picked a blackberry from a vine and ate it and described how delicious and sweet it was, both preteens cringed. “I haven’t tried to eat anything yet that has come out of the garden,” Usery said. “Right now, I just like coming out, planting and taking care of the garden.”
On the other hand, however, James’ teenage daughters, Déjà and Mia, have been enjoying food from the garden since they were little girls. “We’ve had greens, tomatoes, squash, watermelons and blackberries,” Déjà said. “My dad made some rosemary chicken with herbs from the garden and it was so good!”
“We have several herbs in the garden including rosemary, mint and thyme,” Mia expounded.
The JEWELS recently encountered an anonymous benefactor who has contributed to their field trips and enrichment experiences outside Indianola, as well as provided several plots of land around the city where the community garden can be replicated. A resident near the garden also will provide all of the seeds and materials needed for the girls to plant sunflowers in the new garden locations. “It’s all about getting these young ladies exposed to different positive experiences,” James said. “We appreciate all of the support that we are getting and also appreciate the parents for allowing their children to participate
