My name is Emanuel “Manny” Preciado and I am a 3rd year Ph.D. student in Urban Planning and Public Policy at UCI focused on community-driven planning, urban politics, social movements, and community-based research. My current work examines the intersections of space, culture, and politics in urban communities of color inspired by my previous experiences as an artist: a poet and emcee. I became involved with La Granjita in Santa Ana, California as an urban farmer and researcher through an internship in 2016, and now I have been a member of the CRECE cooperative since 2017. At the micro farm, we seek to transform the local food system through healthy and culturally sustaining foods, policy advocacy, leadership development, and promoting community ownership.
