User:Adjoajo/jim

Jim Embry (born James Gilbert Embry); on April 23, 1949 in Richmond, Kentucky. He is a lifelong civil rights activist, eco-activist farmer, social justice advocate, educator, public speaker, photographer, scuba diver, writer. He is active in the local food and sustainable agriculture movement. In 2006, he founded the Sustainable Communities Network. Embry is the Director of the Sustainable Communities Network. He has over 50 years of experience as a social activist.

Embry sees himself as stardust in human form representing billions of years of the Earth's evolution.

Early Life
Embry comes from an African American activist family. He is the grandson of, and great-grandson of farmers and community activist. His ancestors were enslaved Africans that were brought to Kentucky in the 1800s.

In 1960, his mother Jean Barnett Embry became president of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) chapter in Covington, Kentucky.

His activism began in 1959 at the age of 10. At the age of 10 he was a member of the Congress of Racial Equality one of the youngest CORE members nationally. In high school Embry was the Kentucky state youth chairman of the NAACP, helping to organize the March on Frankfort in 1964. The March on Frankfort was led by Martin Luther King. While a student at the University of Kentucky Jim was a founding member and served as president of the Black Student Union.

In April of 1968, Embry attended Dr Martin Luther Kings funeral and served as funeral Marshall.

Education
Embry graduated from Covington High School in Covington, Kentucky in 1967. He graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1974.

Career
In 1964, as a teenager Embry attended the March on Frankfort, Kentucky, a call for legislation to discrimination, and segregation. The March was on March 5, 1964. It was an interracial protest with around 10,000 Kentuckians. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Jackie Robinson participated. Civil Rights activists folk singers Peter, Paul, and Mary participated.

In 1967, he attended the University of Kentucky. While attending the University of Kentucky he was involved with the Black Student Union. He participated in what was called "bitch-ins". Embry says the "bitch-ins" gatherings were where students met and had discussions issues such as, the Vietnam War, the Cambodian killing, etc. They had a student newspaper 'the Kentucky Kernel that published articles. In a 1978, oral history interview he mentioned that at the Black Student gatherings they talked about student representation on the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees. He mentioned also that they also advocated for the banning of the song "Dixie" from being played at football games, and other campus events. Embry states that the Black Student Union activities occurred during the Civil Rights and Black power movements that were happening in United States of America.

In 2001, Embry moved to Detroit to be the Director of the James and Grace Lee Boggs Center to Nurture Community Leadership. In Detroit his work included urban agriculture, and food justice.

In 2018, a founding member of the worker co-operative Wild Fig Embry's work is local, national, and International in advocating for sustainable communities. He participates in international forums such as World Social Forum, Italy for five Terra Madre/International Slow Food Gatherings as a six-time USA delegate.

Embry studied organic farming in Cuba.

Embry is a member of the Black Farmers and Urban Growers conference. He is the state governor of Slow Food USA for Kentucky chapters. He is a member of Black Soil, Good Foods Cooperative, and other food justice organizations. As a writer and photographer Embry has contributed articles contributed articles and photographs to 'We Are Each Other’s Harvest', Sustainable World Source Book, Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky, Kentucky African American Encyclopedia, Latino Studies, Biodynamics Journal, African American Heritage Guide, Stella Natura, and other publications.

Embry's photographs have appeared in exhibitions, in books, hospitals, galleries, and magazines.