“We started talking about plants and I never looked back.” This conversation with her Master’s advisor sparked Dr. Tanisha Williams’ journey into studying botany. Now she is the David Burpee Postdoctoral Fellow in the Conservation, Genetics, and Ecology & Evolution of Plant Reproduction Group at Bucknell University. 

It was #BlackBirdersWeek, an initiative on Twitter that was sparked by the heightened recognition of systemic racism and police brutality against Black people. Seeing Black people expressing their passion for science, nature and birds brought Williams so much joy. “I wanted to open up a space for Black people who love plants,” she says. She tweeted out her idea and on July 6, 2020, #BlackBotanistsWeek became a reality. 

With six days of plant love flooding Twitter and Instagram, Williams has discovered that there are numerous Black people all over the world who love plants and do amazing and fascinating work with plants. “I am not the only one (or one of few)!” she exclaims, adding that she has also observed the need for a better way of connecting Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) with one another and to various opportunities, such as for funding and resources. 

Fascinated with how immobile, or sessile, organisms such as plants respond to changes they face, Williams’ PhD research focused on climate change after completing her Master’s at the California State University Los Angeles. “Just because they can’t move doesn’t mean they don’t have exciting lives!” she says after expressing her love of talking to people about plants and showing them how cool plants are. She is a strong proponent of science communication and education, as it is the responsibility of scientists as community members to share their knowledge. 

When asked what she loves about botany and her research, Williams says, “I love that I don’t have to go far to see all the wonderful diversity of plants. I also love that I have gotten so many opportunities to travel the world to study different plants!”

Black Botanists Week may have concluded for this year, but it will not be the last we see of it! As William says, “Representation and inclusion are how we solve problems, gain knowledge, and make the world a better place.” Moving forward, Black Botanists will be an annual event that highlights Black, as well as Indigenous and people of colour, who love plants. Part of the vision is to start a fund for hand lens and Botanical field guides for young botanists. 

Be sure to search #BlackBotanistsWeek on Twitter and Instagram to catch up with amazing posts about plant love and go to their website, Twitter and Instagram for more updates. 

We also had a wonderful conversation with Itumeleng Moroenyane, another co-founder of Black Botanists Week based in Montreal, who we were able to connect with thanks to Williams. If you missed it, please read his story about botany and Black Botanist Week here. 

For further reading: 

Racism in academia: https://www.theverge.com/21286924/science-racism-strike-stem-black-lives-matter-protests  

Superior by Angela Saini, a book that acknowledges the role sciences and academia has played in creating and cementing racist systems: https://www.amazon.ca/Superior-Return-Science-Angela-Saini/dp/0807076910

Black Lives Matter Canada: https://blacklivesmatter.ca/