Questions I have been asked relentlessly in 2020..

Questions I have been asked relentlessly in 2020....How do we get more ________________ in our garden? ~or~ What would make more _______________ be interested in careers in horticulture?
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Answer: Meet people where they are.
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The Queen of Georgia Stacey Abrams giving a whole masterclass in meeting the people and the culture where they are. Last night she showed up virtually to the legendary Atlanta strip club Magic City to check in with The Snowman (Jeezy) & Big Guwop (Gucci) for a Verzuz battle. Poles in the background and all. Abrams came to deliver the message to get out and vote!
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This is one example of what moving the culture looks like garden/plant/horticulture/environmental/etc world! Showing up and doing the work. It’s not about keeping it cute to save face; it is about keeping it real. Go beyond the discussions, panels, mandates, yearly reports focusing on BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ representation. Act on it—-literally!
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I don’t know who needs to hear this but....you/we/me have to get outside our comfort zones and be okay with saying/hearing/reading BOTANICAL and BOOTY SHAKE in the same sentence.
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What are your ideas for how we meet the people where they are and grow the garden/plant community moving forward? 👂🏾
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#ConquerTheSoil #MeetPeopleWhereTheyAre ~edited to cc and credit @carsonl_b for starting the #BotanicalBootyShake hashtag 🌱🍑🤣 issa movement sis!

To my beloved Botanical Gardens, Arboretums, Conse

To my beloved Botanical Gardens, Arboretums, Conservatories, Display Gardens around the world—I implore you to shoot your shot at the incomparable @scottiebeam!
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I well know your stunning vistas and the level of VIP hospitality you are capable of serving up. Scottie is a national treasure that inspires many and deserves all the love and all the things 💚💚💚 Have your greenspace @scottiebeam below and host her for a visit and roll out the royal garden treatment for this PHENOMENAL woman! cc: @longwoodgardens
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Hot tip we are missing outreach to a lot of people. The fact that someone this dope has not visited a Botanical Garden means we have much work to do. @ your favorite outdoor space and encourage them to show Scottie some love!

@realdonaldtrump We are so ready to get your racis

@realdonaldtrump We are so ready to get your racist, homophobic, xenophobic, misogynist, evil self up outta here ✌🏾👋🏾👋🏾👋🏾
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cc: @staceyabrams coming through like a boss and flipping the State of Georgia Blue 💙💙💙 we love to see it!!!
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#DirtySouth #ByeShawty #GeorgiaOnMyMind #MyVoteCounted

In Nigeria people are viciously being shot dead by

In Nigeria people are viciously being shot dead by the police. Brutality in the criminal justice system is a problem worldwide! Peaceful protest should never be met with violence. I repeat peaceful protest should NEVER be met with
violence. Stop killing and harassing young people who are literally putting their life on the line. May we all stand with our Nigerian family in their fight to #EndSARS #EndPoliceBrutality ✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿🇳🇬 (pic from Toronto Star)
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https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/ways-to-support-endsars-nigeria-around-the-world/

I heard somebody say Iowa is in the house! That me

I heard somebody say Iowa is in the house! That means you 🗣Sioux City, Fayette, Ames, Iowa City, Des Moines, Indianola and every town in between—where y’all at?!?! We’ve got some things to talk about. See you tomorrow evening! 👋🏾👋🏾👋🏾
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P.S. Loving this throw back pic @kellydnorris posted from my days as an Atlanta Airport Landscape Manager. This photo is from the first time I appeared in a magazine. Airport horticulture shifted the course of my career. Was definitely faking it till I made it back then and praise God I made it!
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Repost from @kellydnorris: We're back at it this week @dmbotanicalgarden with our second installment of our virtual Annual Symposium featuring @conquerthesoil! I'm jazzed to hear from her and include her perspectives in this conversation we're calling Gardeners on Gardening. With more folks gardening this year than maybe ever before, we're convening a month-long dialogue of inspiration and information with creative folks who love plants and making gardens. You can still sign up for this week with Abra or the following weeks with Irvin Etienne and David Culp!

Breonna Taylor. I am so very sorry (and sadly not

Breonna Taylor. I am so very sorry (and sadly not surprised) the system has failed you. Will be sure to channel my rage and fury into action. This system is beyond broken. It is beyond time to demand reform 🗣 DEFUND THE POLICE.
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I said what I said. Periodt.

One of the best things I learned from having a hou

One of the best things I learned from having a housemate from the UK was how not to mince words. On Thursday I’m going *virtually* international and join two of the UK’s finest—the fabulous Annie and Noel from @gardenmasterclass! I’ll do my best to not mince words and hopefully make the ol’ roomie proud (howdy Net 👋🏾❤️😘 @helgernet) Details below:
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We’ll chat about: my horticulture journey, love of history, and passion for storytelling! Thursday September 24th 6pm (GMT/London time) or 1pm (EST/Atlanta time) link in @gardenmasterclass bio

Media personality Wendy Williams describes a “fr

Media personality Wendy Williams describes a “friend in my head” as a celebrity that you’ve never met before but *if* you knew them they would be your friend. Well that is how I feel about Juliet Sargeant who made history in 2016 when she became the first Black woman to exhibit at the Chelsea Flower Show where her Modern Slavery Garden was awarded a Gold Medal...
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Guess what y’all? On Thursday August 6th this designer, history maker, BOSS, actual factual Garden Royalty, and “friend in my head” will be presenting at Bare Lit, an annual London-based literature festival celebrating the work of writers of color. Juliet will be sharing a video on gardening and well being including plant care tips and it won’t even cost you!
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This year Bare Lit is blessing us with a free virtual event and we are all invited—well almost everyone—racists and haters y’all ain’t never invited (my words not their’s but someone’s gotta say it 🤷🏾‍♀️) Follow @bare.lit on Instagram or Facebook and subscribe to their YouTube channel so you don’t miss @julietsargeant or any of the action! http://barelitfestival.com

Atlanta is a place where I grew up taking Black le

Atlanta is a place where I grew up taking Black leadership and civil rights heroes for granted. To this day I ride by Martin Luther King, Jr.’s house, church, and tomb so much, I often pass-by without thinking about it. This sounds unbelievable but it was also very common to casually see John Lewis, CT Vivian, Joseph Lowery, Hosea Williams, Maynard Jackson, Julian Bond, and Andrew Young at the grocery store, airport, or around town in Southwest Atlanta.
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The loss of two civil rights legends in the same day—Dr. C.T. Vivian (left) and my Congressman John Lewis (right) deeply hurts. My parents knew both men and I have fond memories of watching these icons stop for a few minutes to chat with my Mama and Daddy in the street. They never rushed and were always generous with their time. If you are unfamiliar with these names do yourself the privilege of researching their contributions to the world.
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We love you both and you will be missed. They certainly don’t make them like y’all anymore ❤️

As I take a break from posting on social media for

As I take a break from posting on social media for awhile to focus, research, and write; I leave you with this gift. A true visual of what it looks to be a white, or non black person of color, ally or accomplice in the World of Plants. This is the face of Joel Elias Spingarn. He was a Columbia University professor, soldier, civil rights leader, horticulturist, clematis enthusiast, board member at New York Botanical Garden @NYBG, and a Jewish man that really was about that life ✊🏻✊🏾
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A man of action, Spingarn is most remembered for his role in the civil rights movement and active involvement with the @naacp. Here he worked to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.
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He was one of the first leaders of the organization, served as Chairman of the Board, and actively involved in the NAACP until his death. Read the last part of that sentence again--UNTIL HIS DEATH. The work doesn't stop tomorrow y'all or even when 2020 (~finally~) ends. If you are with us then--be with us for life! So don't be scurred, be like Joel Elias Spingarn.
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This movement isn’t Black vs White. It is EVERYBODY vs RACISM. Let’s go!
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#ConquerTheSoil #IWillBeBack

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Abra Lee

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