News & Events
October, 2022
October 15: Giving Garden Closing Celebration 2-4 pm in Giving Garden, Duluth Hillside
September, 2022
September 24: PCPH at Hiking in Harmony Harvest Celebration in the Giving Garden, Duluth Hillside
August, 2022
August 25: PCPH with Recording Artist Sara Thomsen in Steve O'Neil Apartment Duluth Gardens with housing-challenged families
August 14-20: Regina attends Soul Fire Farming Immersion , aka BIPOC* Fire (*Black, Indigenous, and People of Color)
July, 2022
July 13: PCPH in the GG for arts and nature programs with Hiking in Harmony partners Kako Foundation, Mentor North, and Duluth children
June, 2022
Eliza Woods, Farm & Arts Apprentice
Seeds of Repair creative online offerings begin. For more information, click here >>
June 19: Juneteenth Gospel Brunch at the Duluth Sport Court and Giving Garden 10 am - 1 pm
June 7th: Eliza Woods, artist and recent UMD anthropology graduate, joins Diaspora Gardens and PCPH as the resident Farm & Arts Apprentice for the growing season. Read more about Eliza here >>
May, 2022
In the unseasonable coolness, preparation begins for planting at Diaspora Gardens.
Visioning and re-visioning of the DG micro-farm layout in response to climate issues and to further soil sustainability unfold.
April, 2022
St. Mark Giving Garden begins its 2nd season! This food access / racial equity / justice and health garden in Duluth is served by the PCPH program.
March, 2022
Minnesota State Arts Board awarded a Creative Support grant to Echoes of Peace for Planting Connections, Planting Hope and more.
January & February, 2022
Diaspora Gardens and the Giving Garden rest.
Humans envision the next season
December, 2021
Year End Review - Giving Garden Newsletter
Last Kale Harvest, Diaspora Gardens
First To Repair Our Lives Podcast: Conversation between Marty Curry & Regina Laroche
Diaspora Garden featured in Artist Holly Tourdot’s Local Food Calendar
November, 2021
DSACF Touchstone Award for Diaspora Gardens COVID era “Seeds of Healing” programs. Click here to view the full video.
Tucking in the St. Mark Giving Garden for the winter, Duluth, MN
Tucking in Diaspora Gardens for the winter, La Pointe, WI
October, 2021
Thanksgiving & Closing Celebration, St. Mark Giving Garden - Duluth
Over 800 lbs of produce shared in a culturally honoring space of connection and gathering during COVID.
September, 2021
Lots of tomatoes!
August, 2021
St. Mark Giving Garden Gate Gathering - Duluth - Giving Garden Newsletter
The new gate provides access to food, community, and improved health.
July 2021
Transformation Grant awarded to Echoes of Peace for Planting Connections, Planting Hope Program, funded by the Barnum Fund, the Dr. & Mrs. Bernhard Boecker Charitable Fund, the Community Opportunity Fund, the Ojard Family Fund, and the Carolyn Joy Seitz Family Fund of the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation.
Regina Laroche has been named as Echoes of Peace (EOP) Co-Artistic Director, focusing on the new program, Planting Connections, Planting Hope.
Having collaborated with EOP for more than a decade, Regina has used the past four years to focus on researching, designing and launching an arts and gardening program to empower children, youth, families and women of color. The success of this arts, garden and food justice endeavor has formed the basis for the Planting Connections, Planting Hope program and Regina’s Co-Director position.
Click here to learn more about Echoes of Peace, and Planting Connections, Planting Hope!
June, 2021
The St. Mark Giving Garden Begins: Giveaway Event & Planting
Hundreds of community-grown seedlings are provided for give away and planting in the Giving Garden and into bucket gardens for households.
May, 2021
St. Mark Giving Garden SURJ (Show Up for Racial Justice) anti-racism training for Giving Garden team members, allies, volunteers, and community.
April, 2021
Volunteers begin preparation of St. Mark AME Giving Garden soil at Bertha’s Garden in the Duluth Hillside Neighborhood (Duluth, MN).
The St. Mark Giving Garden & Food Access Project is an exciting health, food justice, community connection, racial equity, empowerment garden project in the Duluth Hillside Neighborhood.
March, 2021
We gratefully received a Minnesota State Arts Board grant awarded to Echoes of Peace for Regina’s Planting Connections, Planting Hope work.
Seeds started indoors
February 26-28, 2021
Umoja MN Family Camp - Evolve Services
January, 2021
Startup of To Repair Our Lives and Dancing Our Lives 2021 offerings
Regina is deeply grateful to the community of people who agreed to accompany her on a year of explorations of personal and communal repair in a world reeling from racial violence, COVID-19, inequities, and climate disruption
2020/2021 Diaspora Programming is supported by generous contributions.
Echoes of Peace Artist Fellowship
The Wirtenan Family Fund of the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation
The COVID-19 Northwest Wisconsin Response Fund of the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation
Thank you! Your generosity makes our creative, empowering and healing connections between communities, individuals, food, and land possible.
New Family Offerings Coming Soon!
Planting Connection - Virtual creative garden and story experiences for families build connections to each other, health, food, Africana cultural traditions and identity.
To receive information as this is developed, click here.
By Holly Tourdot (www.MadelineIslandCalendars.com)
New Offerings!
To Repair Our Lives - seasonal creative explorations of healing and repair of land, souls, bodies, and world with Regina. Experience reflections, dance, meditations, and conversations through the lens of a farmer, storyteller, dancer, woman and mother of color. [click here]
Dancing Our Lives - Two-hour mini retreat movement experiences to deepen prayer, healing, and each participant’s unique beautiful dance. Next session: February 5th [click here]
December 2, 2020
Story Time Presentation - in partnership with Superior and Duluth Public Libraries and the Duluth NAAC https://www.facebook.com/SuperiorPublicLibrary/videos/community-reads/836023573862378/?__so__=channel_tab&__rv__=related_videos
November 19, 2020
Agri-View article: “Families Torn From Farming Reconnect” https://www.agupdate.com/agriview/news/business/families-torn-from-farming-reconnect/article_2f982884-f624-5771-b43f-df4b393da4a5.html
November 12, 2020
Agri-View article: “Growers Solve Island Food Insecurity” https://www.agupdate.com/agriview/news/business/growers-solve-island-food-insecurity/article_0b2fea3d-dfb8-5705-b98e-bec0a0afab7c.html
October 23 & 24,2020
WomenRISING virtual conference - sponsored by the North Carolina Institute for Spiritual Direction and Formation https://ncspiritualdirection.org/womenrising-registration/
September 30 & October 1, 2020
Sacred Sisters Annual Retreat
Sacred Sisters offers sacred silence, conversations, and wholistic spiritual and wellness strategies for clergywomen of African descent through regular retreats. https://www.sacredsistersclergywomen.org/about
June 28 - October 15, 2020
Weekly Diaspora Gardens micro-farm harvest & food deliveries
Development of virtual farm visits and programs
Madeline Island Food Wagon pilot season with Island Harvesters Collective
June 5, 2020
Seedling/Plant Giveaway, Duluth MN
With Duluth NAACP Mask Giveaway, UM Duluth Farm Lab, & Morgan Park Community Club
