The African American Legacy in Gardening and Horticulture

PRE-SYMPOSIUM EVENT: Join in at the Hayti Heritage Center on Friday, March 28, 2025 at 6 p.m. for a screening of the documentary film Family Tree, which will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Mavis Gragg, Alton Perry and Tyrone Williams, with Savi Horne moderating.

The African American Legacy in Gardening and Horticulture Symposium explores the unsung historical legacy of African American plantspeople, horticulturalists, residential gardeners, and gardening clubs. These personal narratives and generational gardening practices have all too often been ignored, overlooked, or not fully appreciated within the framework of American landscape history, global ethno-botanical viewpoints, and contemporary environmental writing.

This one-day symposium brings together a cadre of horticulturalists, historians, beautification advocates, and plantspeople to celebrate the contributions made by these gardening innovators and modern-day practitioners, while further educating and enlightening the public and future generations of plant lovers.

This event will also be live-streamed.