BY MADHUSHREE GHOSH
MAY 26, 2022
Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG

Next to a busy freeway near the working-class neighborhood of City Heights in San Diego is a green stretch that you could easily miss if you didn’t pay attention to the road that leads to it. A hand-painted sign, “The New Roots Community Farm,” is quite inconspicuous, while bossy chickens in the coop close to the chain-linked fence gate offer greetings as you enter.

You’re transported to heaven, and it’s right next to a California freeway.

For decades, the City Heights neighborhood has welcomed refugees and immigrants from African countries including Somalia, Zimbabwe, Congo, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. An estimated 30,000 east Africans call San Diego home, making it the largest African community in California. The City Heights Community Development Corporation (City Heights CDC) works with residents to create and sustain affordable housing, livable neighborhoods and economic self-sufficiency. Part of this mission is the New Roots Community Farm.