It’s been a bit since a book has caught me and refused to let me go. Black history, particularly Black American history, is a snowball of triumphs and pain. It’s a story of resilience that has passed through generations like a chant: you shall overcome. Over and over again collectively we rise to the challenge amongst a country that has always tried to devalue our humanity.

I’ve read memoirs, history books, and historical fiction over the years. They all are a piece of a great puzzle, but When Trees Testify brings forth a perspective I’ve never thought of before.

I'm so happy that I had the opportunity to ask Beronda L. Montgomery about her new release.

About Beronda L. Montomgery

Beronda L. Montgomery, PhD, is a writer, researcher, and scholar who pursues a common theme of understanding how individuals perceive, respond to, and are impacted by the environments in which they exist. Her primary laboratory-based research has been focused on the responses of photosynthetic organisms (i.e., plants and cyanobacteria) to external light cues. Additionally, Beronda pursues this theme in the context of effective mentoring and leadership of individuals, and the role of innovative leaders in supporting success. To learn more and follow her blog, check out her website here.

Author Interview With Beronda L. Montgomery

What inspired you to write this book?

I was first inspired to explore the relationship between trees and African American history after encountering a more than 400-year old oak tree while visiting the site of a former plantation near Charleston, SC and realizing that the tree would have been alive and standing when ancestral African Americans had been enslaved there.

Your book touched upon hundreds of years of history. What time period do you feel like you learned the most from?

It's difficult to pinpoint exactly; however knowledge that I gained about the early 1900s in my research on Blackdom, NM in the chapter on apple trees was very new to me. Also, on a personal level, looking into the massacre in Elaine, AR in 1919 was very moving because of the connection to my maternal grandfather and family history.

I have never thought about the various trees and the symbolism they have with Black history. Was there a particular tree you encountered that has stuck with you the most? 

In terms of visiting trees, the Angel Tree outside of Charleston has been deeply impactful due to its massive size, the population of resurrection ferns that it hosts, and the fascinating history of the tree, including its link to Civil Rights activist Septima Poinsette Clark.

What was your research process like?

The process was varied in that for same chapters, including Oak, Willow, and Apple, I made a decision to travel. I also spent significant time doing traditional research of reading; yet, this project also took me into archives and deep into genealogical records for my own family connections.

What do you hope readers take away from this book?

I hope that readers may learn something new about African American history, learn about new Black botanical experts and expertise, but also walk away with increase curiousity about trees in general, including those that they share space with.

Trees and Black Americans are entwined throughout the book. What was the most surprising story you discovered that brought together the two topics? 

The most surprising was the connection with willows and family history in a massive massacre in Arkansas in 1919.

There are many types of trees, but in your book you explored seven along with cotton. How did you choose the tree species to focus on? Was there one that surprised you?

I started with trees that many might see as associated with Black history - oaks and poplar. Others such as willow, pecan and the cotton shrub were added due to connections to family history that at the same time were connected to the larger history of African Americans in the US.

How do you hope When Trees Testify influences conversations about race and the role of Black botanical history? 

I hope that it will inspire individuals to embrace a dual history of Black Americans and botanical history in the US. Many are aware of the trauma associated with chattel slavery, even as many are not aware of the depth of this trauma. Fewer are aware of the depth of agricultural expertise that enslaved Africans contributed to the success of agriculture in the US. I hope that When Trees Testify offers the opportunity to being to understand that Black botanical legacy and to celebrate it.

Thank you so much Beronda for allowing me to ask you questions about your book. If you haven't already, grab a copy of When Trees Testify. You won't regret it!