The Corrupt Author
Cedric Long
This Very Grass
A Conservation Project and Film
Directed by Cedric Long, Elmore County Comission Board
Why I want do this project and documentary.
I grew up in the Crenshaw community north of Montgomery in the mid-1980s. As a child, I played in the grass at my grand father's home. You could hardly walk through it without seeing hundreds of bees and dozens of butterflies. There were so many bees that I got stung at least twice every summer.
Years later, sadly that's no longer a reality. I stood outside and wondered, Where did the bees and butterflies go? The grass was still there, but there were no bees or butterfli
There used to be so much life in This Very Grasses. I began learning how spraying, pollution, and the loss of natural habitat can affect pollinators.
Last year, I planted mahonia, which bees love, along with several butterfly host plants on my family’s property. As I researched what else I could grow, I learned about the pawpaw and the beautiful zebra swallowtail butterfly.
Zebra swallowtail caterpillars depend on pawpaw leaves for food. I had found something I could plant that might help them
Plan of Action
Now I want to bring that effort beyond my family’s property. My goal is to plant 50 dwarf pawpaws and 1,000 pawpaw seeds in suitable places throughout the Crenshaw community and greater Elmore County.
I plan to work with the Elmore County commissioners and other local partners to find places where the plants can grow and be cared for.
I also want to hire a video crew to document the work. The film will follow us as we prepare the sites, plant the pawpaws, and return to see how they grow. It will show the people who come together to give these butterflies a place to begin their lives.
I cannot bring back the summers of my childhood. But I can plant something today and hope that, one day, my daughter will see butterflies flying over **this very grass**.
Why This Project Is Important
Too often, the images shown of Black people in the United States and around the world focus on poverty, crime, and broken families. When those images are repeated while our care for one another goes unseen, they shape how others see us and how our children see themselves. Those images can be used as a weapon. It is time for us to tell more of our own stories.
This Very Grass will show Black people doing work rooted in love for their community and the land. Black girls and boys will be featured in the film planting pawpaws, learning why the trees matter, and helping care for them as they grow. I want children watching to see kids who look like them taking part in the work.
We can take the power over our image into our own hands. Through this film, I want to show the love, beauty, and intelligence of Black people while teaching the next generation how to care for the planet they will inherit.
What Your Contributions Support
Your support will help us:
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Hire and pay the photographer and film crew.
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Rent professional cameras, lighting, and sound equipment.
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Purchase host plants, and seeds.
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Complete editing, sound design, and post-production.
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Promote the documentary.
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Submit the finished film to festivals and public screenings.