Rerooting in Transformative Community
A collaboration between Planting Justice Staff, artists Kate DeCiccio, Malaya Tuyay, Hiroyo Kaneko and the community of East Oakland
Did you know that Planting Justice has given away and planted thousands of fruit trees in deep East Oakland?
If you talk to anyone who grew up in Sobrante Park, their childhood memories are rich with stories about fruit trees. The trees are main characters in fruit heists led by middle schoolers on bikes. They connected older and younger generations who harvested loquats and figs and shared recipes. The trees provided an abundance of snacks while kids played outside and fueled cherry wars (they were actually wild plums) between cousins and siblings. The trees were a network of food providing landmarks that threaded together community relationships.
Hear from the people who lived these memories.
We collected stories from the community about the memories that drove this project in collaboration with Restorative Media, and then edited them together with the help of Ryan Ayalla. Photos by Hiroyo Kaneko
Years of community divestment has vastly reduced the number of fruit trees in the Sobrante Park area, but we’re determined to bring them back. In 2025, Planting Justice teamed up with artists Kate DeCiccio, Malaya Tuyay and Hiroyo Kaneko to create a giant creative project to honor the ways fruit trees embody abolition and tell the story of re-foresting Deep East through the perspectives of everyone working on this project. One thing we discovered right away was that in East Oakland…
...we talk to the trees.
Planting Justice staff participated in workshops focused on 7 different fruit trees and created art unpacking the abolitionist wisdom we can learn from each tree. The art created is installed throughout the nursery.
The artists wove together this zine that features the teachings from each fruit tree, community voices, memories, and resources for fruit tree care. Check it out below, or visit the nursery in person to get a physical copy! Design by Jason Killinger.
When you have time, hear the full story here.
This project is dedicated to Luis Sr. who led the first phase of planting. He is missed but leaves many thriving trees.
