Grassroots Gardening: Rituals for Sustaining Activism

In 2003, Minister Donna Schaper wrote an op-ed for The New York Times detailing her rejection from the Coral Gables Garden Club. It seems that the ladies of the club thought she'd bring inappropriate people into the club (meaning gays and blacks). Because of this piece, Minister Schaper was invited to join other clubs around the country. Minister Schaper argues that gardening is a way to sustain activism. It's a ritual for radicals — urbans, nomads, and for anybody who is sufficiently angry.

In 2003, Minister Donna Schaper wrote an op-ed for The New York Times detailing her rejection from the Coral Gables Garden Club. It seems that the ladies of the club thought she’d bring inappropriate people into the club (meaning gays and blacks). Because of this piece, Minister Schaper was invited to join other clubs around the country. Minister Schaper argues that gardening is a way to sustain activism. It’s a ritual for radicals — urbans, nomads, and for anybody who is sufficiently angry.

Donna Schaper is a life long gardener, granddaughter of a strawberry and potato farmer in upstate New York. She has written many books and publishes frequent essays in NEWSDAY, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, on NPR, NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER, CHRISTIAN CENTURY and many others. She is the winner of an ACLU “Courage Award.� She is currently a Senior Minister at Judson Memorial Church in New York City. She is chair of the Interfaith Clergy Dialogue, an affiliate of the National Conference for Christians and Jews.

From 1993-2000 Dr. Schaper served as the western Massachusetts executive in which position she was responsible for supporting 125 United Church of Christ congregations. She had strong urban ministry experience in Chicago, Philadelphia and Miami. She was one of the first woman trained by Saul Alinsky in the 1970s and she was the executive director of Chicago’s Urban Academy. She was also an associate chaplain at Yale University. Rev. Schaper completed her theological studies at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg, PA and the University of Chicago Divinity School. Her Doctor of Ministry degree is from Hartford Theological Seminary.

She is married to Dr. Warren Goldstein, chair of the department of history at the University of Hartford. They have three adult children Isaac, Jacob, and Katie.