Black Girls With Green Thumbs believes it is our responsibility to share educational, spiritual & practical messages and experiences as an expression of our love for our community.
Our Mission
Growing a community that gardens in their homes and within their neighborhoods to heal, nourish, and learn through immersive wellness experiences that reshape relationships with food and restores connections to land, nature, and self.
Our Values
Educate
People of all ages and abilities to nurture independence and self-confidence
Empower
Individuals and families to increase their self-sufficiency through gardening
Serve
As stewards of the health and positive impact of our community and environment
“Black Girls With Green Thumbs is an important organization for the Philadelphia region because we genuinely love and live in the communities we interact with and that connection helps us thrive!”
Meet Our Founders
Meet Our Founders
Latiaynna
King
A small business owner, Latiaynna King has over a decade of experience developing community programs and producing cultural events for mission driven organizations. Her experience as a community educator laid the foundation for her to support community and educational programming through program administration, grant writing, and community relations. Latiaynna has a BA in Sociology/Criminology from Millersville University and a MS in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Delaware.
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Black Girls With Green Thumbs grew from Pamia and I’s passion to share an experience between us, with our family, friends, and greater community. From my passion for outdoor experiences and the impact of my personal garden experiences came a desire to showcase, teach, and encourage others how life changing growing one’s food and being intentional about your wellness can be.
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My favorite plant to grow are peppers. Their leaves are so gorgeous to me, rich in color and upright on their own.
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My favorite garden memory is the day I built my first garden bed in front of my house. My grandmother was there to help (without lifting a finger and offering commentary). It was beautiful to have shared that pivotal moment with her, who was also a gardener.
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In three years Black Girls With Green Thumbs will deepen our relationships with community partners and continue to grow our programs for children, mothers, and families within the Philadelphia region. Specifically, providing more opportunities to connect with the outdoors.
Pamia Hilliard
Pamia Coleman is a 200 hour certified yoga teacher in trauma informed yoga, owner of Merkaba Wellness LLC, and has worked in the plant-based nutrition field for the past ten years. Her passions include assisting those interested in transitioning from the standard American diet to a holistic plant-based lifestyle. She is an experienced plant-based cooking instructor, diabetes educator and kitchen manager.
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Black Girls With Green Thumbs was born from my and Latiaynna’s passion for sharing our gardening trials and tribulations with our community and the world via social media. We quickly realized we could make a bigger impact by meeting community members in local spaces. We began teaching workshops to grow a community that gardens, heals, nourishes, and learns; the rest is history!
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I love growing and foraging for medicinal herbs as well as growing microgreens. Herbs and microgreens are favorites of mine because they are nutrient-dense and can grow quickly!
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I had grown a few tomato plants as a child but didn't seriously get into home gardening until around 2014. At that time my son was a toddler and I thought it would be a good bonding experience for us to try out gardening, and it was!
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I see Black Girls With Green Thumbs expanding our existing programs to reach a larger audience. There is a high need for no/low-cost workshops that help urban families become more self-sustainable, more conscious of healthy food choices, and physically active.
