Ron Finley is the founder and CEO of the non-profit Ron Finley Project, which teaches communities how to transform food deserts into food sanctuaries. Finley grew up in the South Central Los Angeles neighborhood. He later inspired individuals in South Central to regenerate their lands through gardening, which he argues symbolizes empowerment. Through this work, he became known as the Gangsta Gardener.
Finley was born in South Central Los Angeles. He studied tailoring and took fashion design classes. In 2000, Finley began his fashion design career by creating the Dropdead Collexion in his garage. It soon became popular with high-end stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, and Neiman Marcus. Finley also collects Black entertainment memorabilia, including movie posters from various periods that enable visitors to see the progression of Black people in the movie industry.
In 2008, despite the challenges, Finley embarked on a gardening journey at his West Adams neighborhood home. He fearlessly started planting fruits and vegetables on his parkway, the strip of land between the sidewalk and curb owned by the city. Two years later, in 2010, he began teaching his neighbors how to plant gardens in their parkways, and the movement spread, even as it challenged Los Angeles City laws.
Finley and his neighbors transformed unused land into vibrant fruit and vegetable gardens, inspiring a new wave of urban gardening. He also organized opposition to city regulations that prevented Angelenos from engaging in curbside gardening. In 2020, Finley created an online Masterclass in Gardening, partly in response to the George Floyd killing, a tragic event that sparked widespread protests against police violence and systemic racism. The online class brought him a new national audience.
In 2021, Finley launched his first fragrance, โA Flower for You.โ This unique scent, a collaboration with Los Angeles-based Fiele Fragrances, not only captured the aroma of his vibrant gardens but also captivated the senses of his audience, bringing them closer to his urban gardening mission. Two years later, his Ron Finley Project partnered with Seedlip in Los Angeles, the leading non-alcoholic spirits brand, to educate impoverished and working-class communities on regenerative gardening practices.
For over a decade, Ron Finley has been a beacon of inspiration, lecturing on food access and gardening. His message, demonstrating how individuals can plant and maintain their own vibrant vegetation spaces, has reached far and wide. Declaring โGardening is my graffiti,โ his TED talk on YouTube has been a powerful tool, viewed by over 1.5 million people, spreading his urban gardening revolution to a global audience.
