The Great Turning

Orrin Genyo Williams is my name. Genyo is my Dharma name given to me by Rev. Koyo Kubose, Sensei and spiritual leader of Heartland Sangha. I live in Chicago and have a large extended family that includes numerous children, grandchildren and one great-granddaughter that are a source of joy. I consider myself to be a socially engaged Buddhist with a keen interest in traditional African and other earth-based spiritual systems. Awarded the Chicago Magazine Green Award 2009.

My work is fulfilling; I'm employed by Growing Home which is a social enterprise that is also a job training and readiness program serving people that have had numerous obstacles in their lives including homelessness, addiction, incarceration and poverty. My experience working in the nonprofit sector for most of my life has led me to the conclusion that people are in need of connecting to their "Buddhanature" and discovering their true potential.

The relationship I have with Growing Home is interesting and creative because I have created an organization called the Center for Urban Transformation (CUT) and has formed a partnership for projects in the Englewood community on Chicago's south side. Currently we are working to develop an urban agriculture zone and have a one acre site under development. The project is looking to acquire several additional sites from various units of local government for agricultural production. In collaboration with many other organizations and individuals I assisted in the creation of the Food, Fitness and Health plan outlining the projects and strategies for the next 10 years for creating a healthy and sustainable community in Englewood. Our hope is that the plan will be useful for other communities in Chicago or elsewhere  ( for an electronic copy of the plan send me an e-mail). Also this past Spring I was recognized as a "Community Hero" by Teamwork Englewood and the Chicago office of Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). Teamwork Englewood is the lead agency in the community for the New Communities Program funded by LISC in conjunction with several other major foundations.

One aspect of the program that is especially interesting to me is the planned creation of a farmer training program that will create market growers in the community. Land acquisition is a critical piece as it is our intention to provide people that have completed the training program with land for production. Beside the production of food crops many people interested in the program have expressed an interest in floriculture, medicinal herbs and mushrooms as potential enterprises. Other projects currently under develeopment are the design and creation of a produce cart as well as a kiosk for corner stores that will facilitate the increased access of fresh produce into our underserved community sometimes referred to as a "food desert". We are also engaged in the design of a mobile grocery store similar to the one utilized by Peoples Grocery in Oakland as well as small grocery stores/produce markets in Englewood. We are also involved with the creation of an urban agriculture and small grocery store project in the West Garfield Park community in conjunction with Bethel New Life and our design and architectural partners the SHED Studio. The SHED Studio will be the designers and/or  of the cart, kiosk, mobile grocery store and small grocery store projects. These are several examples of the food system work that we have been engaged in for several years.

The food system and urban agriculture work is part of a larger vision the CUT has for creating a green business district along the 59th Street corridor in the Englewood community of Chicago. Housing renovation and construction are another program area under development. The CUT philosophy requires that this program area like the others be decidedly green. It is our belief that you can't have affordable, sustainable housing without it using renewable energy, energy efficiency and conservation measures, ecologically sensitive building and construction materials as well as green paints, stains, varnishes and adhesives. A more detailed description of the CUT philosophy can be seen soon as the organization's web site is under development.

In addition to our work I love the arts. I enjoy playing the djembe and alto saxophone. I also like to write and I am the editor of the Heartland Sangha newsletter entitled Sangha Notes. I encourage you to read the chapter Food and Justice: The Critical Link to Healthy Communities, I contributed to an excellent book on environmental justice; Power, Justice and the Environment. The book is edited by one of my dearest friends David Pellow who is a on faculty at the University of Minnesota.

Other interests include qigong, meditation, reading and listening to my extensive music collection that consists primarily of jazz, reggae, African, blues, world and avant garde music.

I am inspired by the Wiser Earth community and look forward to connecting to many people in the network.