Spark Trees: Black New Yorkers' Arboreal Relationships

Torrey Botanical Society Fall 2025 Lecture Series Spark Trees: Black New Yorkers' Arboreal Relationships presented by Georgia Silvera Seamans ~~~~ A dominant narrative about relationship between African and African-descended people and the land is told through the lens of enslaved labor and the production of export crops such as rice, cotton, and tobacco primarily in Southern states. While these histories are fundamental parts of the American story, there are other ways and places in which Africans and African Americans engaged with natural resources. In this talk, Georgia will share Black New Yorkers’ connections with trees and forested areas between the Dutch period and the second half of the twentieth century. Georgia Silvera Seamans is an urban community forester living and working in New York City. She is passionate about exploring the connections and interactions between people and plants, and birds too. Georgia teaches environmental studies at the college level, and is the Executive Director of Local Nature Lab. She has bylines in "Urban Forestry & Urban Greening", "City Trees", "Birding", and "American Gardener". For more about Georgia’s work, visit https://www.georgiasilveraseamans.com ~~~~ 00:00 Introduction 01:40 Lecture 1:01:39 Q&A ~~~~ For more information on future lectures, field trips, and the Torrey Botanical Society, visit https://www.torreybotanical.org