Marco Lemus is a first-generation, Central-American and has lived in South Richmond, CA all his life. After graduating from UC Santa Cruz with a major in Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, Marco joined the Urban Tilth Farm to Table CSA team in 2019, where he learned how to grow, clean, and distribute healthy locally grown food to local residents. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Marco helped expand the capacity of the paid CSA from 80 to 250 residents, and also helped establish the New Farmers to Families FREE Box Program which supports 190 Richmond families.
HEAL Food Alliance
2022 School of Political Leadership
Rooted in Richmond Food Justice
Marco Lemus
he/him
Community Organizer,
Urban Tilth
I believe SoPL will help strengthen the voice of local, community leaders in our city who come from areas where the need for healthy options is highest. SoPL will build on our knowledge on food insecurity and just food systems in ways that will critically improve our political strategy, base-building, and community engagement. We hope to grow a city that will model for the rest of the world what a food system centered around human life actually looks like, and that can only happen by prioritizing BIPOC life and voices, since we are not only most likely to be at risk of health issues because of where we live, but also because we make up a vast majority of the frontline communities who work growing, cooking, distributing food related essential services.