Garden highlights diversity, proves to be important education tool

February may not be peak garden season, but it is Black History Month and a little garden tucked away next to the Frick Environmental Center has proven to be an important education tool.The "From Slavery to Freedom" Garden was first established in 2017. The project is a collaboration between the Heinz History Center and Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. Its goal is to promote the understanding of the African Diaspora, or the mass dispersion of people from Africa during the Transatlantic Slave Trades between the 1500s and the 1800s."Not only were people brought over," said Amber Stacey, a Naturalist Educator with the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, "But these people brought with them a wealth of knowledge that helped them on their eventual journeys to freedom." Stacey and her colleague, Chastity Bey, toured Pittsburgh's Action News 4 around the small garden on a cold February morning. While the garden is a bit bare this time of year, its message still stands year long. When the garden is in full bloom, it features plants that people would use for food, nourishment and even medicine. It also features foliage that people would use for protection and shelter. Stacey explained that the plants in the edge beds are wild native plants that grow in the forests of the northeast. She says freedom seekers would have encountered and used them to meet their survival needs. ​On the inside of the garden sit a few raised beds which include plants that are typical for an American market garden. Stacey says not only were those used for sustenance, but also as a way to make some money. "A lot of people don't realize that African American people have a lot of roots in the environment," said Chastity Bey, who serves as a Community Nature Educator with the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. The garden is part of a larger exhibit at the Heinz History Center. The garden is often used as part of summer camps offered by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. The conservancy staff have developed a lesson plans for teachers who are interested in using the garden as a teaching tool. Teachers can also schedule garden tours. The garden is open to the public as well.