The Legacy of Hattie Carthan: New Stewards of Grassroots Green Movements

Join us for a talk led by Magnolia Tree Earth Center Executive Director Marlon Rice about the Black presence in Brooklyn's urban green movement as seen through Hattie Carthan's legacy, the heirs to her movement, and the Magnolia Tree Earth Center.  

The Magnolia Tree Earth Center of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Hattie Carthan. A resident of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Mrs. Carthan was among the nation’s first African-American community-based ecology activists. Her pioneering efforts brought a variety of “green” programs to her neighborhood during the early emergence of the grassroots and environmental education movements.

By now, Hattie’s movement has grown beyond its original footprint, and into the lives and hearts of families and children in Bed-Stuy. Yonnette Fleming has empowered Brooklyn residents to build on their southern and Caribbean connections to the land and to farming. Project Green brought together nationally known environmentalists and local ecologists to Bed-Stuy in 2008, then brought a NASA scientist to public schools in 2018. Marlon Rice continues efforts to reach NYCHA residents, while also teaching horticulture to public school students within blocks of Hattie’s Vernon Avenue residence. 

Reception starting at 6:30pm. Discussion will begin promptly at 7pm.

Part of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn: An Exploration of Our Plant Life and Green Spaces. Exhibition on view in the Brooklyn Collection January 7 - April 3, 2020.