Seeds of Survival and Celebration

For the past two years, a garden exhibition “Seeds of Survival and Celebration: Plants and the Black Experience” at Cornell Botanic Gardens has been sharing the knowledge, skill, and resilience of enslaved Africans, their descendants, and today’s Black community and their deep connections to plants, the cuisines they inspired, and the medicines that healed them.

Join us for a webinar featuring the creators of the exhibition to learn how enslaved Africans used their culinary skills and plants that came with them from West Africa and new plants available to them in the Americas to prepare foods—Many of which became regional staples and are part of the culinary and cultural heritage in America today. Enslaved Africans also brought and applied their knowledge and uses of plants as medicines. Panelists will discuss some of the plants grown and used by enslaved Africans in the Americas such as black-eyed pea, okra, collard greens, watermelon, and more. Turning to contemporary plant connections, panelists will also discuss and show the “Cultivators of Celebration,” which is a display within the exhibition that celebrates people who continue to safeguard and elevate the rich heritage associated with the plants showcased in the exhibition.

Event Details:
DATE: Monday, February 26, 2024
TIME: 7:00 p.m. ET
LOCATION: Online Zoom Event | Zoom Link/Details will be provided in your registration confirmation email upon registering.

Participants:

• Kofi Acree, Director of the John Henrik Clarke Africana Library, Africana Center, Exhibit Advisor
• Dr. Christopher P. Dunn, PhD, The Elizabeth Newman Wilds Executive Director of Cornell Botanic Gardens
• Sarah Fiorello ’98, MPS ’17, Interpretation Coordinator, Cornell Botanic Gardens, Lead Exhibit Designer
• Kamillah Knight ’13, MPA’15, MBA’22, Vice-President of Programming, Cornell Black Alumni Association (CBAA)
• John Rawlins III ’06, President, Cornell Black Alumni Association (CBAA)
• Sonja Skelly, Director of Education, Cornell Botanic Gardens and Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Integrative Plant Science Horticulture Section
• Catherine Thrasher-Carroll, Mental Health Promotion Program Director (retired), Skorton Center for Health Initiatives at Cornell Health, Cornell University
• Jakara Zellner ’24, Learning by Leading Co-Leader, Exhibit Advisor