In this ‘In the Spotlight’ series, we're highlighting community members of all interests and experiences, sharing their top reasons and tips for living in Ypsilanti.  

We’re shining a light on Melvin Parson, founder and Executive Director of We the People Opportunity Farm (WTPOF) providing sustainable farming opportunities and more supporting formerly incarcerated men and women re-enter the workforce. The farm is rooted here in Ypsi, and even provides fresh produce to local restaurants. Hear from Melvin on how it all started.

What should we know about you?

I was born and raised in Detroit and I've been living in Washtenaw County since 2004 (most recently, Ypsilanti). I am a father, grandfather, a college graduate, and Founder and Director of We the People Opportunity Farm. I have spent 13 years of my life off and on incarcerated. I've been homeless, battled drug and alcohol abuse, and somehow or another I've been able to get my sea legs underneath me, and just in the past decade, my life has taken on a totally different path than it was when I arrived here.

What inspired you to start the farm or to begin farming?

It was a culmination of things: I used to live in Avalon housing and they have a gardening program for tenants. Somehow, I wound up with a raised vegetable bed and I put some seedlings in and it started growing. That made me a little interested in where my food came from, then I saw the documentary, Food Inc..

That same year, I went to the farmers market and I saw no one that looked like me selling the food, meaning a person of color, or buying the food that looked like me. I'm a firm believer that either you got a seat at the table or it's you on the menu. It was almost like the heavens opened up and yelled down to me "hey Melvin, this is where I want you to sit." That is what inspired me initially to grow food.

My goal was to have a booth at the farmers market. It's funny-- I still don't have a booth, but there are ways I was informed to have a seat at the table. Not only do I now have a seat, but I have a voice at the table, and in some ways I can even to set the table in the form of creating opportunities for formerly incarcerated men and women to be part of our paid internship program.

Can you tell us more about the WTPOF internship program?

We take 5-6 folks every year and for a paid internship from April through November. The last two years, we've paid our interns $21 an hour for 16-20ish hours a week. Part of that is farming and growing amazing organic produce, which is sold to local restaurants here in Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor. We give some food away to our community at no cost to them.

We've also got 'soil-changing amendments' included in their internship that takes form of financial literacy workshops, compassionate communication workshops, social-emotional learning workshops, horse therapy, and sematic healing. Towards the end of their internship, they're connected with Michigan Works and another organization offerings a 6-week pre apprenticeship training (if they want).

Hear directly from Patrice, dedicated farm intern, on how the farm has positively impacted her and the opportunities WTPOF provides.

Why Ypsi?

As things continued to morph on me, I somehow wound up renting about a quarter of an acre of land from a church in Ypsilanti and I've been there since 2017. In that time, the church allowed us to expand where we now have a little under the acre of land.

What is something only a local would know?

One of the cool things about Ypsilanti is the diversity. You have a lot of compassionate folks who want to see community being built, so a lot of folks are creating and building community here on a lot of different levels. There's resiliency here, a lot of diversity here, and a great deal of comradery here.

Good things are happening here all the time. What’s good in Ypsi?

There's a lot of good happening in Ypsi. There's a lot of great places to eat. Bellflower has supported us and buys produce from us, then the amazing chefs and all cook really good food. Maiz Mexican Cantina sources their jalapeno peppers from us too. There's more great places like Thompson & Co. and Sidetrack.

Also awesome businesses in Ypsi as well, including Hinton Real Estate Group. I'm really impressed with Candye, not only from a business aspect but also a community and societal aspect, and how she's been able to marry the two, which isn't easy to do. I'm just really impressed.

It’s that solidarity and community support of wanting to keep Ypsi not only afloat, but working on strategic ways to make it thrive in these uncertain economy and uncertain times.

What are you are looking forward to in 2025? 

This year, I attended a conference in Los Angeles to learn more about social enterprises and came back even more excited and passionate about the work. As I think about We the People Opportunity Farm being a non-profit organization, we're always thinking about sustainability. One of the things we're focusing on is the creation of a social enterprise that will help create meaningful full-time employment for folks who come through our program, and if what we create becomes successful, that will help generate income for the farm.

We just applied for a planning grant that will help us further plan our ideas out, like creating a cafe that will be ran by and managed by formerly incarcerated folks.

Next Fall, we'll plan our first sit-down, face to face dinner and fundraising event. I'm excited about that.

How would you describe Ypsilanti in a few words?

It’s manageable, and what I mean is it doesn't have the feel of the big city, but doesn't feel rural. It has the feeling of connectivity.

We’d like to give a special thank you to Melvin and We the People Opportunity Farm for sharing with us! Keep up with Melvin and the farm on their website: wtpof.org.

Want to learn more about living in Ypsilanti? Find more features and property listings at LiveNypsi.com.