CODES 2027 Research Team 2

Month: November 2023

Source Analysis: #4 – TaKara G.

November 16, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Source Analysis #4

MOBOT WEBSITE FEATURES

When browsing the MOBOT website I discovered that they hold classes for all ages and families all year around at MOBOT, Shaw Nature Reserve, and Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House. I noticed that these classes taught the public about botany, biology, holiday decorating, along with upcoming events that they hold. This led me to wonder if a class can be held to address MOBOT’s history and the effects it has on the garden today. I think creating a designated historical background class focusing on the garden’s history could be a great way to get the public engaged and informed about the history of the garden.

Another thing I discovered while browsing the MOBOT website was in the main menu in a section titled “Learn & Discover” where MOBOT focuses more on the scientific and educational approaches and therapeutic benefits about the garden and less about the historical background. I viewed this section of the website as an opportunity to share about the garden’s history with the public. To find out more about the garden’s history with enslavement you must do outside searches to get to this one singular page of the website which should be more accessible considering that they already have a “Learn & Discover” section designated to what the public can learn and discover more about pertaining to the garden.

I also found it quite interesting that on the website they advertise the celebration of various holidays and notable people who contributed to the garden. I think that it would be incredibly important to find a way to publicly honor the enslaved people through an event acknowledging how important their contribution to the garden was and who they were. Instead of only celebrating people like Dale Chihuly and Emily Dickinson honoring the lives that cultivated the land could be honored and their stories could be told to the public.

THE GARDEN AND SLAVERY

I think it’s great that MOBOT wants to move forward in diversity and inclusion. This page of the website is a great effort to do so, but I do think that this page of the website is considerably hidden from the public eye. It takes about five to six clicks to get to this section of the website and that’s knowing exactly what pages and menus to select. If there was a way to make this page of the website more accessible to the public, I think it would show more transparency about the events that took place at the garden in regarding its history.

Pertaining to the content of the page, I thought it was amazing that MOBOT took time to acknowledge the challenging history that the garden has by digitizing the relevant archival records. One thing that slightly disturbed me was the fact that if someone wanted to learn more, they would have to carry out their own research to do so. In order to drive the initiative of diversity and inclusion with full transparency I think providing viewers with a plethora of information so that they can carry their own research would be more practical. The information that can be provided by the MOBOT would be more reliable than any other outside source of information about its history.

ZT Source Analysis #5 Archives at MBG

November 9, 2023 / / 0 Comments

  Going to the MBG and getting to look into the basement was our next step as a team. My first reaction when we went to the basement was just how small and secluded it was. It really gave a feel to a certain extent of what it could have been like to live or just roam around in the basement in that time period. Seeing the fireplace, the washboard, and the plow for the cattle what was used to farm with was interesting. When I was down there, I pictured myself almost as if I was going back in time and it really gave a sense of the hardship that the slaves went through. In another room there were paintings on the wall portraying the people who might have stayed in that side of the house and what their day-to-day life could have consisted of. One thing that stood out to me was, some people’s faces were blurred out and also not using the real people that were in that position, but instead to use fake or other people. Seeing that really limited some of the observations that me and others had made, which in total really felt a sense of something could be hidden and people did not want to express who the actual slaves were. Once we broke out into groups to go to the different stations, the one that caught my eyes the most was Andrew’s which displayed all the tax documents and other significant figures. Coming from a business major, it really brought intuition on how checks and other tax documents looked back 200+ years ago compared to the more modern 21st century.  Just seeing that along with the other writings and using the magnifying glasses to try and translate into a more modern version of English we use today. I am pleased that we are working with the Archives basically coming from a business major and I feel as if we all can use our intended major and other skills to our advantage when working with Andrew.

Source Analysis #3 – TaKara

November 2, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Source Analysis #3: Edwardsville Man 

What is the issue? 

In an article published by The Intelligencer: Edwardsville, Edwardsville resident Alan Vest had cultivated his yard with native and vegetative plants to attract pollinators, because of numerous citations and reoccurring city violations Vest’s collection of plants were removed by city workers. Vest sought to have his home recognized as a conservation home by HeartLands Conservatory, but failed to properly manage, plan, and maintain his collection of plants. In result his collection of plants did not meet the city ordinance requirements. Although Edwardsville does encourage the pollinators initiative to have native plants in yards, they also recommend that residents who want to contribute should receive information and further assistance at City Hall. 

Was this the right course of action? 

Unfortunately, I do believe that removing the collection of plants from Alan Vest’s yard was the correct approach to handling this issue because of Vest’s failure to comply with various opportunities to create the yard he had imagined. In the article it states that the mayor of Edwardsville even tried to contact Vest to address the proper information and the assistance he needed to attract pollinators and have his home recognized as a conservation home. I do think it is a little concerning that when action was taken Vest thought of this matter as “harassment” and “prejudice” that the city had against him. I think that it is important in matters like this to fully inform the violator about exactly what the violation is not just emphasizing the fact that they aren’t meeting standards and requirements. 

Source Analysis #1 – TaKara

November 2, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Source Analysis #1: Wicked Problems

               When opening this chapter, I was very curious as to what a wicked problem was. The textbook defined a wicked problem as “difficult problems that cannot be addressed using only traditional approaches, such as scientific technological advances, and that require continuous attention because they can never be completely solved” this reminded me of the reparative justice cohort. We are all trying to publicly communicate the injustices of Henry Shaw and acknowledge how those enslaved people impacted the botanical garden, making it what it is today. The textbook also provides general characteristics of a wicked problem: vague problem definition, undefined solution, no end point, irreversible, unique, urgent. In my opinion I believe that our wicked problem is characterized by each of the following characteristics. The problem is vague because exactly how do we address the public about the notable yet shameful history of Henery Shaw, this all makes the solution undefined. Even though we could find a solution as technology advances and life goes on there will be more ways to communicate this problem, this leads to a never-ending turmoil. Regardless of what our solution looks like the effectiveness of what we do is irreversible, this makes the whole problem unique. Although there isn’t any drastic urgence of the matter, I think it is important to bring light to this problem because of how much the background history impacts the present and future possibilities beyond the botanical gardens but the region as a whole.

SOURCE ANALYSIS #5

November 2, 2023 / / 0 Comments

On this last visit to the Botanical Garden, many questions arose in addition to the desire to find a clear and concise answer for each of them.

My experience visiting the basement of Tower Grove House was too shocking for me. Upon entering this place, I expected to find answers, 

but it only generated more questions.

  • Who oversaw the information that was displayed when the basement was open to the public?
  • Who approved the information, artifacts, and distribution of photos that are in the basement?

Even though there was information displayed, there was a lot of information that was being hidden, and irrelevant information was being exposed. This gave me a feeling of frustration and the atmosphere felt highly mysterious.

Some stories never left this place, some freedoms were deprived, stories were silenced, stories that were far from feeling like a reality, feel false and vague because there are not many records of where to find the absolute truth, and yet, this information that we do have is blurred and softened so it doesn’t disturb the public.

1. Shawn, when we were in the basement, told us that one of the main reasons why this place was closed was due to the lack of information there was, out of respect for those stories that were not being told, and because of not knowing how to address this information.

2. The day we visited the place for the first time, the person in charge of giving the Tour told us that the basement was closed because it was under construction, and they were repairing it. FAKE.

3. In these 2 times that we have attended, I have not seen a single person of color who is part of the program or working with us at the Botanical Garden. 

4. There are first-hand documents that we saw, and you can clearly see that they were modified or certain information was added.

5. Certain documents belonging to Henry Shaw were sent to Harvard for analysis and are back in the Botanical Garden, but were they all returned?

6. If those documents were analyzed at Harvard, there must be some information that we may have access to if we can contact them.

7. Should we see going to the basement and learning more about real plants as a priority or would it be worth investing time on it? How does it benefit us to know about plants? Is there any record of what plants were the main ones that slaves had contact with? What were the first plantations that the slaves took charge of?

8. There are movements like BLM that we can contact to acquire a little knowledge and help on how we can address the public that visits the MOBOT and how to make the information known.

  1. Patrisse Cullors: I am an artist, abolitionist, and writer. It’s my mission to invite all of us to grow toward abolition through intergenerational healing work that centers on love and collective care. My creative practice is building a world that promotes and protects human dignity and joy through Black art and creativity. I am invested in the redistribution of resources to promote collective care. https://patrissecullors.com/connect/
  • Alicia believes that Black communities deserve what all communities deserve — to be powerful in every aspect of their lives. An innovator, strategist, organizer, and cheeseburger enthusiast, Alicia founded the Black Futures Lab to make Black communities powerful in politics. She is the co-creator of #BlackLivesMatter and the Black Lives Matter Global Network, the Strategy and partnerships Director for the National Domestic Workers Alliance, and the co-founder of Supermajority, she shares her thoughts on politics and pop culture on her podcast, Lady Don’t Take No. Alicia warns you: hashtags don’t start movements — people do.

https://aliciagarza.com/contact/

  • Opal Tometi: She has been active in social movements for nearly 20 years and is widely known for her role as a co-founder of Black Lives Matter and her years of service as the Executive Director of the United States first national immigrant rights organization for people of African descent – the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI). contact@ayotometi.org
  • NAACP: We work to disrupt inequality, dismantle racism, and accelerate change in key areas including criminal justice, health care, education, climate, and the economy. When it comes to civil rights and social justice, we have the unique ability to secure more wins than anyone else. Help make racial equity a reality. (410)-580-5777

I found an African-American quote, while I was doing my research for this Source Analysis. From now on, we should keep this in mind.

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

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