Abra Lee

Abra Lee (born 18 December 1978[1]) is an American public horticulturalist, historian and writer, who researches Black garden history and raises awareness of the subject through social media.

Abra Lee
Born18 December 1978
Atlanta
Alma materAuburn University
Occupation(s)Historian; public horticulturalist
Awards2019-20 Longwood Fellow
Websitehttps://conquerthesoil.com/

Career

Lee graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Ornamental Horticulture.[2] She has worked in a number of horticultural roles, including: with the University of Georgia as a County Extension Agent for Fulton County;[2][3] as Landscape Manager for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport;[4] as a horticulturalist at George Bush Intercontinental Airport;[2] as a municipal arborist at City of Atlanta Department of Parks.[5]

As of 2021, Lee worked as a freelance horticultural writer and lecturer, for institutions such as the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Centre, Temple University, Smithsonian Gardens, and others.[6][7][4][8][9] Her work seeks to break down the barriers that prevent black people participating in horticulture.[10] She does this through researching and highlighting the lives of Black women in horticulture, from antebellum history to the present day.[8] Lee says that the "beautiful thing about Black garden history is that it can't be separated from Black history and it can't be separated from American history".[8] She founded the social media platform Conquer the Soil, which raises horticultural awareness through Black garden history and current events.[11]

Lee was selected a 2019-20 Longwood Gardens Fellow.[12][11] As part of her fellowship she travelled to Château de Villandry where she researched lesser known histories of the garden, as well as supporting a curatorial project which compared the lives of Ann Coleman Carvallo at Château Villandry and Anne Spencer of Lynchburg.[13] Her first book Conquer the Soil: Black America and the Untold Stories of Our Country's Gardeners, Farmers, and Growers is due to be published in 2022 by Indigo Books.[14][15][16]

References
  1. Chase, Nan K. (2011-04-01). "Garden Notebook: Airport". Atlanta Magazine. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  2. "Abra Lee Highlights the History of African-American Horticulturists". Growing Greener. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  3. Dinsmore, Lucy (2019-04-05). "Abra Lee: On Horticulture, Fashion, Leadership and Mentorship". womeninhort. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  4. Falkenthal, Gayle Lynn (2021-02-04). "Planting Seeds During Black History Month". Good Earth Plants. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  5. "About". Conquer The Soil. 2018-01-05. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  6. Lee, Abra (2021-02-28). "The Influencers". Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  7. "Gardens as Sources of Resilience". Smithsonian Gardens. Archived from the original on 2022-11-03. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  8. "Celebration of Women in Horticulture: Abra Lee | Ambler Campus". ambler.temple.edu. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  9. Forkner, Lorene Edwards (31 October 2020). "The Northwest Horticultural Society's online symposium offers an inclusive look at diversity and ecology". Archived from the original on 2020-11-01.
  10. "Breaking Ground: Pioneering Women in Botany & Public Horticulture • The National Wildlife Federation Blog". The National Wildlife Federation Blog. 2020-03-25. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  11. Locher, LeAnn (2021-02-18). "The Culture of Gardening with Abra Lee: "The Work is in Our Hands"". Master Gardener (Statewide). Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  12. "Society of Fellows | Longwood Gardens". longwoodgardens.org. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  13. "Our Fellows Reflect | Longwood Gardens". longwoodgardens.org. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  14. "Conquer The Soil: Black America And The Untold Stories Of Our Country's Gardeners, Farmers, And Gro..." indigo.ca. Indigo Books & Music, Inc. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  15. Lee, Abra (2022-03-01). Conquer the Soil: Black America and the Untold Stories of Our Country's Gardeners, Farmers, and Growers. Timber Press. ISBN 978-1-64326-062-4.
  16. "Abra Lee - African-American horticulturalist and historian". Garden Masterclass. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
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