Alfonza Greer aka Mr. Greer/ Greer is a countryman. He’s true to his ways and true to his word. Known as one of the hardest working men this side of the Mississippi. Greer grew up working the land with his Granddaddy. His Granddaddy never attended a traditional school and learned all he knew from his parents, family members, and the community.

In many ways, this is how Greer was taught and how he learned to farm. Using only what they had to fertilize, and keep bugs and such away from their crops, they used “Burton snuff, olive oil and soap and a mule to pull the plow until he got a small 60 John Deer/Popping John. Greer calls it the real “Old School “of life and farming. Mr. Greer has been longing to farm and stated that if he had a choice of what he could do it would be Farming.

He has had some delays and obstacles in life that have held this up to mention a few, his incarceration, lack of access to land ownership, and of course money. Not having money is the most expensive thing for him. He looks forward to being able to grow sustainable, clean food. Food that tastes like what it was from the beginning. Tomatoes that taste like tomatoes. Corn that tastes like corn and raising stock that produces meat that tastes like what it is, a real Burger, Steak, and yes Chicken that tastes like Chicken and nothing else. Butter that tastes like Butter. And I could go on, but you get it. And to change the narrative of “It taste like Chicken” when it’s a Pork Chop.

A man of few words, he more than makes it up with action.

Callie Greer was born in Montgomery, Al. and spent most of her younger years growing up there. She is married to Alfonza Greer, the love of her life and a strong supporter of her work. She is the proud mother of five children: Venus (deceased), Mercury (deceased), Tiffany, Lawrence, and Niaya, and grandmother of eight. Callie started her advocacy work after Mercury, her son, was shot and died from those wounds on Father’s Day ‘99. Callie started at the Jubilee Community Center (JCC) in Montgomery, Alabama as a volunteer, she was later employed as the Director of the After School Program. While employed at JCC, she developed an original Life Skills program that was designed to educate the youth that lives in high-risk areas and also received her minister’s license during her employment there.

She is still involved with JCC and its efforts in the community. She moved from that position to Lead Organizer/Trainer with The Montgomery Transportation Coalition (MTC) leading their efforts to help bring adequate mass transportation to Alabama. Callie was also the Young Women Organizer for FOCAL through their Southern Rural Black Women Initiative Program (SRBWI) which works on issues that affect black women in rural areas of the black belt. She is also a graduate of the Alabama Organizing Project (AOP). Callie is also an Offender Workforce Dev Specialist (OWDS) graduate through the National Institute of Corrections. She was employed by Greater Birmingham Ministries (GBM) for over 10 years as their Lead Organizer for Constitution Reform in the state of Alabama and Civic Engagement. It was during the latter part of this employment that they lost their daughter Venus (due to the lack of Healthcare Ins.) to Breast Cancer.

Callie has been featured twice on PBS’s NOW program in their award-winning story on poverty and tax fairness in the state of Alabama. She was formerly on the Board of Directors of Alabama ARISE and SRBWI past Board Member of SOS (Saving Ourselves Movement for Justice and Democracy), Alabama Moral Monday, Project Hope and MTC. She is also a national spokesperson for the Poor People’s Campaign and Founder of M.A.A.V.I.S ( Mother’s and Men Against All Violence In Solidarity). She is a Senior Community Organizer and In-House Chef for the Selma Center for Nonviolence, Truth and Reconciliation, and a Kingian Nonviolence Trainer.

Callie is using her pain and creating something terribly beautiful out of it through “The Art of Healing,” Don’t Waste Your Pain. And Advocating for herself and others because, “If you're not at the Table, Then You’re on The Menu”.