BROOKLYN HEIGHTS COMMUNITY GARDEN

Brooklyn Heights Community Garden (BHCG) is a non-profit, .56 acre USDA-registered urban farm located on formerly vacant lots in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee, a historically Black and low-income neighborhood that experiences food apartheid.

The founder of Brooklyn Heights Community Garden (BHCG) Nella "Ms. Pearl" Frierson has always been able to take a little and create plenty. Ms. Pearl had the vision for Brooklyn Heights Community Garden over a decade ago. In 2009, she bought 1833 & 1835 Haynes St, which at the time were vacant lots across the street from her home. She started growing a garden on the land and inviting people to join her.

The creation of this garden stemmed from a deep need for the community to get back to its roots of connection between our elders and our young people, to rebuild and reconstruct self­-awareness, self-pride, and self-esteem, and to remind people of all ages how to play in the dirt. Many of the residents in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood are elderly and on fixed incomes. There are no grocery stores within a mile from the garden. Public transportation is inadequate for residents who don't have another form of mobility. This is why our work is vital. We provide much needed fresh, healthy fruits, vegetables, and herbs right here in our own neighborhood.