Our Story
The Black Heritage Tree Project is dedicated to honoring the legacy of Black communities through the powerful presence of trees. These living witnesses stand in places where history unfolded—sites of resistance, struggle, and resilience. By preserving and sharing their stories, we aim to connect people to the land and the memories it holds. This work is about recognition, remembrance, and healing through place-based storytelling.
What Are Black Heritage Trees?
- Fixed point in a historic landscape
- Exist outside of the boundaries of human life
- Tree species associated with cultural significance
- Stood in witness to important moments in Black history
- Rooted in soil modified by Black life or intentionally planted by Black people
- Use their bark, roots, branches to tell a story
For the purposes of this project we define Black Heritage Trees as resilient trees that have overcome impossible odds to bear witness to historical moments in Black history, serving as guardians of culture, existing outside of the boundaries of human life and limits of time, as tree species connected to cultural or historical significance, rooted in soil modified by Black lives, and they use their bark, their roots, their branches and their placement in the landscape to tell a story.”
Dr. Alicia Odewale