Crawford Pickens interview, 14 January 2025

Abstract

Crawford Pickens talks about moving from Alabama to Cleveland in 1973 to find better employment. He worked at Forest City Foundry and Ohio Aluminum before retiring in July 2021. Before retiring, he maintained plots at a community garden on Sandusky Avenue and E. 112th Street. In 2001, he maintained two plots at the Schaffer-Miles Garden before becoming the garden manager there. In this interview, Pickens discusses what he knows of the garden’s history, the challenges of operating the garden, and what he hopes for the garden’s future