The Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, in conjunction with People for Parks, is an organization focused on creating green space specifically in communities of color.

Since February, People for Parks became the organization’s new community school parks program and together they have joined forces to fight for green space equity so Los Angeles residents, regardless of race, zip code or income, have access to a safe park or garden.

Since 2002, the organization that believes health and justice are rooted in community parks and gardens, has added nearly 13 acres of accessible green space to Los Angeles by helping to create 28 parks and gardens in communities of color that have little to no access to green space.

For the last 15 months, Kjer, who holds a master’s degree in landscape architecture from Cal Poly Pomona, has guided the organization’s diverse work across Los Angeles County, with a goal of improving the quality of life for Angelenos through new and improved green alleys, urban parks and open space.

Its analysis of green space found that communities with very high or high park need were 90% predominantly communities of color.