Ashia S. Ajani: Black Abundance in Eight Plants

Ashia S. Ajani is a storyteller, environmental educator, and author of the poetry collection "Heirloom." They visited Cambridge to share their creative nonfiction debut explores the lives and histories of plants considered nonnative or invasive as metaphors for the Black experience in America, joined in conversation by Maria Pinto, local writer, editor, and educator. In "Tending the Vines," Ajani illuminates how eight unique plants tell the story of the Black diaspora in America. Each chapter is a deep dive into one plant, including eucalyptus, passionflower, wild mustard, and kudzu, exploring their significance in African tradition, their role through the Middle Passage and chattel slavery, and their enduring importance in modern households and communities. Their stories challenge our notions of “invasive” and belonging, by contextualizing how plants move, are moved, and, of course, move us. 0:00 quote from Ashia S. Ajani talking about her book 0:31 introductions 1:49 Ajani reads from her book 12:16 discussion Discover more about our partner: https://www.harvard.com/ GBH Forum Network ~ Free online lectures: Explore a world of ideas Follow us on social media:   / gbhforumnetwork     / gbhforumnetwork   https://x.com/GBHForumNetwork Browse our extensive video library, see our partners and sign up for our newsletter, "Good Talks," on the GBH website: https://www.wgbh.org/forum-network