In this film, you’ll see how Ron found his passion for helping out people in food deserts, because he grew up in one. With his first garden, the city tried to keep him down by saying he couldn’t plant it in a public plot of land. Ron fought the system, and won. Because of this victory, Ron earned his nickname “The Gangsta Gardener.” It also sparked his lifelong mission to bring fresh food and urban farming to those who need it most.

Ron’s love and passion for gardening, and his desire to help those in need are unmatched. Because of his Seed Bills and planting The People’s Treasury, you’ll learn how we helped Ron begin teaching thousands of people to become new Gangsta Gardeners.

Food injustice is one of America’s biggest problems. Every major city throughout the U.S. has a food desert—underserved communities where people have to travel on average 3 miles (4.9 km) to find fresh produce. But with fast food restaurants and liquor stores on every corner. And the lack of fresh food in people’s daily diet creates lower life expectancy, a higher percentage of diabetes rates and other chronic diseases, and a continuing cycle of poverty. Add the rise of inflation during 2022, and what was an already difficult situation became even worse.

So far, the campaign has distributed the equivalent of over 1 million dollars in fresh produce. MasterClass joined the fight and made every bill into a 1-year free subscription voucher on the platform, so everyone could learn gardening from Ron Finley’s class. Schools and communities across the U.S. are using the bills as a starting point for their community gardens and saving money by growing their own fresh food.

Ron faced the city of Los Angeles 10 years ago when he got a warrant for growing food in the parkway, the piece of land between his house and the curbside. His fight changed the law in Los Angeles allowing everyone to grow food in front of their homes. Now the Gangsta Gardener needed a bigger act to show Americans there’s a way to fight the unfair food system and eat healthy. In America, there’s nothing illegal about marching and protesting. But breaking ground in the National Mall is a federal offense. So Ron had to challenge the rules again for a greater good: he planted his money with seeds in front of the Federal Reserve, where the U.S. dollar is printed.