California Story Fund
Common Ground: Mien Gardeners and African-American Youth at
Peralta Hacienda Historical Park
Friends of Peralta Hacienda Historical Park
Oakland
Project Director: Holly Alonso
Outside the restored Peralta House in a historic park in the Fruitvale section of Oakland, Mien women from the mountains of Laos tend a small vegetable garden. Close by African-American kids hang out with their friends. The two groups use the park more frequently than anybody else in the neighborhood, but, according to Holly Alonso, executive director of the Friends of Peralta Hacienda Historical Park, they never exchange greetings or acknowledge each other's presence.
This project dchange that situation by bringing the two groups together to listen to each other's stories. The project also included story circles and gardening session, during which the kids learned about the various types of vegetables the Mien grow. The stories and photographs of the participants were exhibited at the Peralta House.
"My hope is that project enabled the two groups to realize what they have in common, despite differences in age, dress, language and background," Alonso said. "The kids hopefully learned, among other things, what the Mien endured to get here, and on the other side, the Mien, hopefully, came to understand something about the history and culture of the African-American community."