Robin Emmons never anticipated the fame her social justice advocacy would bring to her Charlotte-area nonprofit, Sow Much Good.
Among recent accolades, the UNC Charlotte College of Liberal Arts & Sciences alumna was named a Top 10 CNN Hero, receiving $50,000 with the honor. Local and National Media outlets have come calling, including People magazine, EBONY magazine, Black America Web and The Today Show. She was one of 24 people worldwide whose inspirational stories were featured in the “Walter Mitty Frame 25” effort connected with a recent movie.
Emmons nurtures these honors as intentionally as she does the bees, chickens, and produce on her farm sites. They are a way to further the cause and increase awareness of food access and issues of social justice in marginalized communities.
Emmons left a banking career after realizing she needed to pursue something else to fulfill her dreams. She began growing vegetables to share when she saw her brother’s health decline from eating processed foods. Sow Much Good found its start in those humble beginnings.
Sow Much Good operates two micro-farms and an urban market in the Charlotte area. Its newest endeavor, Farm Fresh To Go, offers Community Supported Agriculture shares of the produce, fresh eggs and local honey for pickup or delivery to food insecure neighborhoods.
When Cassandra Suber heard about the market, she and her children volunteered. Emmons and the cause instantly captivated them, and Suber now is an employee.
“It was almost like being hit by the sun,” Suber said. “Our passions lined up. We just have wonderful synergy. It’s not about the money. It’s about saving the community.”
As Emmons expands her work, she draws upon lessons she learned while an undergraduate political science major at UNC Charlotte in the 1990s.
“My undergraduate studies informed my thinking and challenged me to look at the world through the lens of systems and cultural norms, how we as a culture create systems and our dominant cultural narratives,” she said. “This has informed my advocacy.”
Emmons studied abroad in Poland and learned how to find common ground with people who on the surface may seem very different.
“My political science background gave me real-life skills that have allowed me to look at issues of social justice that are seemingly intractable, and then put together programs and strategies to address these issues,” she said. “My experiential learning really challenged me to develop skills to negotiate across lines of difference and highlight our interconnectedness.”
Emmons’ growing celebrity has helped to energize the conversation and gain access to companies and organizations that were previously inaccessible. “It’s definitely opening doors and opportunities,” she said.
The growth also causes a dilemma, as she balances expansion plans with her hands-on approach, such as plowing the fields and working at the urban market. Despite her struggles, she stays focused by keeping her sights on what drives her. She would give similar advice to UNC Charlotte students.
“They should get quiet and look for that place within themselves where they can hear their song and their passion and find balance,” she said. “There’s enormous opportunity for students to get a degree that challenges them and teaches them to think critically and see the world more broadly. I would challenge students to not just get outside of the proverbial, box but to realize that “there is no box.” The only box that exists is the one we create in our minds.”
