Block Ambassador Glenn Hall: Connecting Our Communities with the Power of the Outdoors
Glenn Hall, a resident of the Congress Heights neighborhood, is a third generation Washingtonian who is passionate about strengthening his Ward 8 community through educating them on a wide range of issues, but especially Environmental and Food Sovereignty. He received his master’s in urban agriculture from the University of the District of Columbia in 2024.
Glenn began his role as a Block Ambassador with DC Natives almost two years ago. A Block Ambassador primarily focuses on community outreach, education, and connecting communities with DC Natives to help bring more pollinator habitats to every neighborhood in Washington DC. He became a Block Ambassador shortly after DC Natives helped to install the native plant pollinator garden in his very own front yard.
His connections within Wards 7 & 8 as well as in Maryland and knowledge of the environment has made him an excellent leader within the community. He recently led a Spring Garden Workshop at Lederer Gardens in Ward 7 to help connect the community with resources to empower them. The workshop was an event created through his fellowship with the organization Soul Trak Outdoors. He challenged the participants to embrace gardening not just as a hobby but rather as a source to increase food sovereignty.
Soul Trak Outdoors is a D.C. based nonprofit that connects communities of color to outdoor spaces while also building a coalition of diverse outdoor leaders.
According to the Soul Trak website, the National Park Service (NPS) turned 100 years old in 2016. Although African Americans make up 13% of the national population, only about seven percent of park visitors were Black, Latino, Native or Indigenous, or other non-Caucasian race. These facts highlight the historic underrepresentation of people of color in outdoor spaces. Soul Trak is actively working to change these disproportionate statistics by directly engaging disenfranchised members of our communities. They believe that all people of color everyone regardless of background, economic status, age, or gender should be exposed to outdoor spaces, recreational pass times, and educational tools.
You can check out other events that Soul Trak is offering this season or reach out to Glenn for more information.
When Glenn is not leading through service with DC Natives or Soul Trak, he works actively to grow & build his non-profit Earth Seed and plans to open his own non-profit farm within Ward 8 to help address longstanding food insecurity.
We are very thankful to have Glenn as a part of the DC Natives community and hope that you will support him and DC Natives as we both continue to grow and serve all the communities of DC.
DC Natives is always looking for new block captains & ambassadors in neighborhoods across the District. Learn more about getting involved by emailing dcnatives.org@gmail.com.