In the heart of Bedstuy, Brooklyn, grows a southern magnolia tree that is over 40-feet tall and protected by three historical brownstone buildings. The landmarked tree has survived there for the last 140 years, inspiring and serving the community that sprung up around it. Sadly, the Magnolia Tree Earth Center is in danger of losing the site if they don’t raise enough money for much-needed repairs.
“Magnolia Tree Earth Center has been serving the community for 50 years, providing exceptional environmental and workforce development programming,” said chairman of the Magnolia Tree Earth Center Wayne Devonish. “Now we need the community to support us.”
The Center has owned all three buildings for the past 50 years and urgently needs to raise at least $350,000 to pay for required repairs to the front facade of the brownstones and to take down the scaffolding, said Devonish.
“In Bedstuy, at this point in time, the Black history is being eroded daily. Institution after institution is falling. Another few years, you’re not going to know there was a Black community here,” he said. “We are going to work extremely hard to make sure this institution not only survives another hundred years but thrives.”
The Center was founded by the late Hattie ‘The Tree Lady’ Carthan to preserve the magnolia tree and its brownstones. She was the driving force behind getting the site’s landmark designation in 1970.
“She was from the South, and she saw that a tree was about to get knocked down, the Magnolia grandiflora, and the buildings,” said Devonish. “She remembered those trees from her childhood in the South. And she said, ‘There’s no way you’re going to knock that down’.”
The tree itself is not normally found this far north of Philadelphia because the conditions are not ideal. Carthan learned that the brownstones kept the tree warm and out of harsh and cold winds. Devonish said the buildings were abandoned and in disrepair then, so they were originally slated to be destroyed to make room for a parking lot and new apartments.
Carthan rallied to raise what money she could to protect the tree from the city. She aimed to build a wall around it for $20,000. Factoring in inflation costs, that would be about $157,270 today. It was an ambitious undertaking, to say the least, for the struggling community of Bedstuy residents, but they persevered in raising about $7,000 ($55,000), which the Horticultural Society in New York matched to the dollar, said the city.
By 1976, the plans to develop the block changed, and Carthan was able to buy the brownstones altogether and renovate them. Devonish said she dedicated her senior years to planting over 1,500 trees in the community and turning the Center into an environmental, education, and community hub. Carthan is considered one of the first Black community-based ecology activists.
“The Magnolia Tree Earth Center is a treasure for the community of Bed-Stuy, a place that embodies the pioneering spirit of service and environmental stewardship of Hattie Carthan,” said Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo, who’s been a huge cheerleader for saving the center.
As of this Monday, the Center’s GoFundMe has raised $54,420, and last week, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso pledged $20,000 toward building repairs.
“Hattie Carthan recognized that taking care of our environment was a collective act of love for one another and the neighborhoods we call home,” said Reynoso in a statement. “This isn’t just about Hattie’s legacy of environmentalism; it’s also about what drove her advocacy: community power, nature as a force for the education of our young people, and our right to breathe clean air, find solace on a hot summer day, and walk streets lined with the same beauty that sits in the soul of Brooklyn. If we all pitch in, we can deliver on Hattie’s vision for our borough and help Magnolia Tree reach its full potential.”
Councilmember Chi Ossé added that the center is a “historical anchor and neighborhood centerpiece” that must be preserved and rehabilitated. “We thank Borough President Reynoso for his commitment and look forward to securing all the necessary resources to get this job done,” said Ossé.
Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.