Author Talk: When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History and America's Black Botanical Legacy with
Advertisement
44th and 3rd Bookseller in partnership with Trees Atlanta is thrilled to welcome author, professor, award-winning plant biologist Dr. Beronda L Montgomery to the City in the Forest to share her book: When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History, and America’s Black Botanical Legacy.
Many of the trees in Atlanta’s urban forest are deeply intertwined with the histories and culture of Black Americans. Dr. Montgomery’s extraordinary research highlights seven trees and the complex roles these trees have played in Black American culture. We’ll learn how the willow was used to heal; how the majestic sycamore served as a signpost for those on the path from enslavement to freedom; and how Antoine, an enslaved African, domesticated the Pecan Tree!
Dr. Montgomery’s book is truly a gift to be read, shared, and celebrated by all who live in the City in the Forest.
About the Author: Beronda L. Montgomery, PhD, is an award-winning plant biologist and the author of the acclaimed Lessons from Plants (Harvard University Press, 2021). She has been named one of the journal Cell’s 100 Inspiring Black Scientists in America, and was awarded the 2021 Cynthia Westcott Science Writing Award and 2022 Adolph E. Gude, Jr. Award for outstanding service to the science of plant biology. She was named a Radcliffe Fellow at Harvard University (2025-26) and is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society of Plant Biologists, the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and the American Academy of Microbiology.
About the Moderator: Dr. Na Taki Osborn Jelks is an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental and Health Sciences at Spelman College in Atlanta, GA. Dr. Jelks is also the Co-Founder and Executive Director of West Atlanta Watershed Alliance -a community-based environmental justice organization that works to grow a cleaner, greener, healthier, more sustainable West Atlanta through authentic community engagement, organizing, education, community science, and participatory research.
44th & 3rd Bookseller is a family-owned, multi-cultural book and culture brand headquartered in the heart of Atlanta, GA. Its founders, Warren, Cheryl, and Allyce Lee, established the brand in 2017. The mission is to continue as a source of unbiased literature that is true to the rich culture of excellence experienced and expressed in the Black community world-wide. We create a sanctuary of great Black literature, history and culture. We bring well-curated books, conversations with writers via book signings, and community engagement with poetry nights, book club events and lectures on important subjects to the community. Learn more about us here.
View our full Calendar of Events at treesatlata.org/calendar.
Many of the trees in Atlanta’s urban forest are deeply intertwined with the histories and culture of Black Americans. Dr. Montgomery’s extraordinary research highlights seven trees and the complex roles these trees have played in Black American culture. We’ll learn how the willow was used to heal; how the majestic sycamore served as a signpost for those on the path from enslavement to freedom; and how Antoine, an enslaved African, domesticated the Pecan Tree!
Dr. Montgomery’s book is truly a gift to be read, shared, and celebrated by all who live in the City in the Forest.
About the Author: Beronda L. Montgomery, PhD, is an award-winning plant biologist and the author of the acclaimed Lessons from Plants (Harvard University Press, 2021). She has been named one of the journal Cell’s 100 Inspiring Black Scientists in America, and was awarded the 2021 Cynthia Westcott Science Writing Award and 2022 Adolph E. Gude, Jr. Award for outstanding service to the science of plant biology. She was named a Radcliffe Fellow at Harvard University (2025-26) and is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society of Plant Biologists, the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and the American Academy of Microbiology.
About the Moderator: Dr. Na Taki Osborn Jelks is an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental and Health Sciences at Spelman College in Atlanta, GA. Dr. Jelks is also the Co-Founder and Executive Director of West Atlanta Watershed Alliance -a community-based environmental justice organization that works to grow a cleaner, greener, healthier, more sustainable West Atlanta through authentic community engagement, organizing, education, community science, and participatory research.
44th & 3rd Bookseller is a family-owned, multi-cultural book and culture brand headquartered in the heart of Atlanta, GA. Its founders, Warren, Cheryl, and Allyce Lee, established the brand in 2017. The mission is to continue as a source of unbiased literature that is true to the rich culture of excellence experienced and expressed in the Black community world-wide. We create a sanctuary of great Black literature, history and culture. We bring well-curated books, conversations with writers via book signings, and community engagement with poetry nights, book club events and lectures on important subjects to the community. Learn more about us here.
View our full Calendar of Events at treesatlata.org/calendar.
Advertisement
Where is it happening?
825 Warner Street SW, Suite A, 30310, 825 Warner St SW, Atlanta, GA 30310-3426, United States
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherTrees Atlanta
