Highbridge Tutors Come To You

Highbridge, in the Bronx, was one of many neighborhoods that was a victim of urban decay in the 1970s. Vacant lots that resulted from razed buildings permeated this enclave, and for many years, became dumping grounds for garbage, debris, and other blight. In the early 1990s, however, renewed efforts to revitalize Highbridge were exerted; among those efforts were the planting of various community gardens throughout the Bronx. One such community garden—considered the first in the borough—was Taqwa Gardens, which still exist today.

Taqwa Community Farm was founded by Abu Talib, a resident of Highbridge in 1992. Talib was a native of South Carolina and grew up on a farm, but had grown weary of seeing the general problems and decay of his neighborhood; as a result, he lead community efforts to get approval for a community garden to be planted in the half-acre block in Highbridge. The neighborhood where the garden exists, at 164th Street and Ogden Avenue, was impoverished, and Talib saw how a community garden would benefit the area. He received permission to transform the lot into his garden from the city, and shortly thereafter, the project gained popularity and more advocates for garden growth in the borough. This urban farm became the first of its kind—an oasis—for people to participate in positive communal sharing and benefit from their labors in a very direct way.

Nearly 100 families volunteer to maintain the plot currently, which grows root vegetables, leafy greens, gourds, corn, peas, and other vegetables. The farm is even able to sustain a beehive, tended by apiarists, and provides honey for locals in the neighborhood. Chickens provide fresh eggs, too, and sustainable farming practices ensure that this space will continue to thrive and provide food year by year. Urban farming produces hundreds of thousands of fresh food for locals throughout the Bronx, and Taqwa is estimated to provide approximately 10,000 of those pounds annually.

So impressed with the community improvements wrought by Taqwa, the Parks Department purchased the lot in the late 1990s. Under the purview of the Parks Department, Taqwa will remain designated as a park and garden space for all to enjoy, indefinitely. Locals will continue to tend to the land and act as stewards for their neighbors. This has made the neighborhood a desirable place to live, not only for local residents, but for those who have relocated to the Bronx in recent years.

Highbridge tutors are also fixtures in the community—perhaps not as gardeners, but as academic stewards to their individual clients. Like the individuals who work together to maintain the farm, tutors work together with students, patiently and diligently, to lead them to academic success. Just as Highbridge’s urban blight was turned around, so too are bad grades thanks to the hard work of Grade Potential tutors.