Cherry Street Farm: Growing a Movement

“I got the cheat code. I got greatness on both sides of my family.”

Keith Tucker, an Equitable Development Initiative (EDI) partner and founder of Hip Hop is Green and Cherry Street Farm, grew up surrounded by activists and visionaries. He laughs as he remembers learning about his father’s role as a founder at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute (LHPAI, also an EDI partner). “When I found out he did that, I was like, oh my God, I didn’t even know! Dad, why didn’t you tell me?” 

Keith continues his family’s legacy of community-centered work and his grandmother’s love for gardening. Cherry Street Farm, built on the very block where he grew up, sits beside the apartment building his grandfather constructed in the 1960s.

“(My father) was always an inspiration to me, even outside of LHPAI. He grew up around the Black Panthers, Stokely Carmichael, Paul Robeson…he was an actor, an activist, a scholar.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Keith began reimagining what an urban farm could look like. He created Cherry Street Farm, an innovative mix of art & functionality. The farm serves as Seattle’s first hydroponic growing lab in the Central District, featuring the Pacific Northwest’s first solar panel with murals, illustrating the “green age of hip hop”. Coined by Keith, it’s “a declaration to the world of what hip hop is moving to now. So I’m taking the genius of what we do in the music industry and the entertainment industry, and even when it comes to athletics, I’m taking that genius and I’m moving it into a green direction. So I’m moving it into more marine biologists, more climate scientists, and all of these things that we need in order to live sustainable on the planet.”

The lab produces nearly two acres of food in just 320 square feet, with much of the harvest purchased by organizations like Byrd Barr Place down the street, which is another EDI grantee. Byrd Barr then donates the produce to local community. It serves as a community space hosting workshops, events and simply inspiring the next generation to live sustainably.   

Keith’s influence extends far beyond Seattle. More than 500 students have participated in his programs, many of whom remain connected to him today. He recalls one student whose first visit to the University of Washington was on a Hip Hop is Green field trip to a marine biology lab. Inspired by what she saw, she later enrolled at the UW, conducted research in that very same lab, eventually earning her master’s degree in marine biology while staying involved with Hip Hop is Green.

Hip Hop is Green began in 2009, rooted in the transformative power of Hip-Hop culture with a mission to support holistic wellness and drive environmental change in BIPOC communities. Over the years, Keith hosted Hip Hop Green Dinners across the country, serving more than 40,000 plant-based meals and featuring vegan hip-hop artists.

As the movement grew, so did Keith’s programming. Hearing firsthand how the dinners were impacting youth, he began offering community workshops focused on climate change, sustainable careers, and plant-based eating. “I like having fun,” he says, “But I incorporated the fun in with the learning opportunity. So it’s like the perfect match between education and entertainment. That’s what hip hop is. It’s the perfect match between both of those two worlds.”

To stay connected with the incredible work of Hip Hop is Green, be sure to follow their Instagram accounts:

@cherrystreetfarm on Instagram

@hiphopisgreen on Instagram

Zahra Hassan is an OPCD intern, working with the Equitable Development Initiative and Communications teams. She recently graduated from the University of Washington with a focus on Human Centered Design and Engineering. Read our OPCD intern spotlight to learn more about Zahra.