Oral History: Maximiliano Rivera

Maxi Rivera is a community organizer, advocate, and community gardener—roles he has held in the South Bronx for over 40 years. Founded with a host of local community organizations and as an active steward of Rainbow Garden of Life and Health, Maxi creates a space for people of all backgrounds, cultures, ages, and languages to learn and grow together, hence the name. Witnessing the Bronx and its changes over decades, Maxi understands the importance and impact community gardening has on bringing people together, from utizing the garden as a classroom for students to sharing the garden’s produce with neighbors, he always names that: “The garden belongs to the community,”