Why a Fruit Tree?

The fruit tree in our logo is a symbol of several interlocking concepts and inspirations. Here are just a few of them:

Humans and organizations are living beings, not machines. 

Productivity (produce) is a result of health. In order to increase our capacity to produce, we have to invest in our health as individuals and as an organization. When we focus on productivity by itself, we often neglect the health that is a prerequisite for the results we wish to achieve.

Our fruit tree, like all symbols, is not meant to be accurate to reality. It includes a few different sizes, shapes, and colors of fruit. This serves as a reminder of our commitment to honoring the diversity of humanity. Every individual and every organization is unique. Our uniqueness is a strength to appreciate, not a weakness to overcome.

Mavis Staples sings a song “We Shall Not Be Moved” that includes the refrain “Like a tree, planted by the water, we shall not be moved.” This line is drawing on imagery from Psalm 1 - “Like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season…” The Civil Rights legacy of Mavis Staples and others is very important to us. It reminds us that there is much work yet to be done to build the Beloved Community that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. envisioned. It is also important to note that the tree in Psalm 1 bears fruit “in its season,” not all the time. We have to draw on the seasons and rhythms of life in order to be healthy.