Imagine a green place. A river rushes by, cardinals chirp. Walking with your friend, you find a feast: dandelion and purslane for salad, some raspberries. Now, tuck this place between elevated trains and high-rises in the Bronx. Still a verdant oasis, just—different. 

This is the Bronx River Foodway, an edible city park tended by herbalist Journei Bimwala, giving free public access to healing herbs and fruits. Foraging is illegal in New York City, as in much of the U.S.; a holdover of old, racist laws designed to keep free Blacks and Native Americans off the land. For Journei, land stewardship is an act of reparations: “This was taken from us— this ability to heal and feed ourselves. And if you take something from me, I’m going to take it back.” At the Foodway, we are nourished by the park’s bounty and community, reminding us that even and especially in the city, we are rejuvenated by connection to the land.