Marjora Carter and bell hooks, left to right, courtesy of Sara Day Events

Environmental justice. Human connection.  Roots.  Branches.  And an invitation to dig in a peace garden.

Feminist literary activist bell hooks and social/environmental justice advocate Majora Carter were welcomed to the Burton Street Community Center and Peace Garden by Mayor Terry Bellamy and poet, educator and advocate Glenis Redmond.

Sitting under a century old tree in the Burton Street neighborhood, a mixed-color crowd listened and talked about “community.”  Redmond, standing under the engulfing tree, spoke to history and family roots in poems about her grandparents.

Bellamy, sans campaign staff, honored Council’s Robin Cape for her tireless environmental work in Asheville, and Majora Carter’s life work educating about and encouraging national planning policy that includes environmental justice.

“Community is multilayered,” said hooks, “…the challenge is to open up to all levels.”  Carter added, “…be builders of things together.”  Both called for us to be part of our environment, rather than “the” environment, and to build our communities as inclusive, by addressing the barriers of technology (which hooks added is not free), literacy, history, and thus education, class and race.

Before we ate cobb oven-baked pizza and homemade tureens in small circles on the grass, Asheville poet and elder, Lucielle Ray, performed “Mr. City Man,” a poem about urban renewal. An advocate of the peace garden invited all of those gathered for the event–85% of which had come to the neighborhood for the first time for this gathering, including me–to come back and contribute to the Burton Street Peace Garden.  The third Saturday of the month from about 10 a.m. to noon is a good time to work with people in the garden.

In the small picnic-like eating circles I was privy to, the discussions moved from Carter’s work to mentoring to development to race and silence.

Majora Carter discussing “greening the ghetto” at TED Watching this is the best 20 minutes you will spend today.

“…economic degradation begets environmental degradation, which begets social degradation.”  Majora Carter

Many thanks to those who pulled this gathering together: Sara Day Events with the support of Asheville GO! and the Burton Street Community Peace Garden.  Bob White of Pisgah View Community Peace Gardens also gave words of inspiration and encouragement.  Make a donation.