On Saturday December 14th, 2024 volunteers, artists, and organizers gathered together at the Carnegie Museum in downtown Oxnard, CA for a Mini Nature Reserve installation. Medo’s Meadow honors the late Mohammad “Medo” Halimy, a guerrilla gardener based in the Gaza Strip known for his “tent life” vlogs. On August 26, 2024, he was hit by shrapnel from an Israeli bomb in the city of Khan Younis and died. His videos provided an intimate look into the everyday life of his community during the ongoing genocide in Gaza. 

“Planting for me is a form of resistance. I bring life to Earth. They’re taking away life, but I’m bringing it to Earth. And I hope that my plants have strong roots to the ground just like we Palestinians do.” – Medo Halimy

Even after his death, his GoFundMe continues to collect donations for the survival of his family. We encourage you to contribute to direct mutual aid efforts like this one supporting Palestinians impacted by settler violence. You can donate to his family here. 

Mini Nature Reserve is a local environmental nonprofit working to create pollinator corridors and provide educational opportunities to the community. The plants in Medo’s Meadow were grown at the Mini Nature Reserve community garden with the help of volunteers from around the county. You can learn more about Mini Nature Reserve here or listen to Executive Director Diego Magaña’s interview on Episode 4 of the Earth on Fire Podcast (coming soon!).

“Today we are bringing life back to earth in honor of Medo by returning native plants to the earth where they have been displaced. We’re not asking for permission from anybody because these plants don’t need permission because they were here first.” – Diego Magaña

Artist Daniela Del Toro Ramirez (@artederamirez) contributed a portrait of Medo (acrylic on panel) which can be seen at Open Door Studios and prints can be ordered here. “The portrait itself has a purposefully unfinished quality that can only give an inkling to the loss of life in Gaza. I only hope that the work I have created can show a glimpse into the strength and resilience of the Palestinian people.” – Daniela Del Toro Ramirez 

Thank you to Lab805 for providing wood panels and a space for artists to come together and create pieces for Medo’s Meadow. Lab805 acts as a community meeting space and provides after school tutoring services. You can learn more about events and check out their merchandise offerings here.

Earth on Fire strives to support sustainable events with a high community impact. Collaborating with Mini Nature Reserve, Lab808, and local artists was an incredible opportunity to raise awareness and share resources. As we move forward, Earth on Fire is collecting zines and prints to stock the Medo’s Meadow community library.