Ashley Gripper
Dr. Ashley Gripper was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. Her work focuses on Black people’s connections to Earth and reclamation of land-based living and organizing practices. She has been active in food and land justice movements for a decade and as a result, has built strong relationships with urban and rural growers around the country. Dr. Grip began her formal farming training at Sankofa Community Farm in Southwest Philadelphia. She is also a member of Soil Generation and is working with the team, in collaboration with Interface Studio and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation to design Philadelphia’s first Urban Agriculture Strategic Plan. Read more
Dr. Grip is a community builder and the founder of Land Based Jawns, a spiritually-rooted organization that supports Black Philly women, femme, and non-binary people who want to grow deeper in their relationships to land, food, and ancestral spirituality. Land Based Jawns offers workshops and education on agriculture, carpentry, land-based living, and safety with a focus on self and community healing.
Dr. Grip’s research is transdisciplinary and uses mixed-methods to explore the associations between urban agriculture, mental health, spirituality, and collective agency, particularly among Black agrarian communities. Her dissertation research was supported by the Health Policy Research Scholars Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Center for Health and Happiness at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Beginning in the fall, Dr. Grip will be an Assistant Professor in the departments of Community Health and Prevention and Environmental and Occupational Health at Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health. She will also serve on the Strategic Council for the Ubuntu Center on Racism, Global Movements, and Population Health Equity. As a Philly native, Dr. Grip is dedicated to using her experience in epidemiology, community organizing, and urban planning to support community-driven solutions for health justice in Philadelphia and beyond.
