In addition to this virtual Library Speakers Consortium session\, CALS is excited to announce Beronda L. Montgomery will be presenting the 2026 Six Bridges Book Festival.
\nThe histories of trees in America are also the histories of Bl ack Americans. Pecan trees were domesticated by an enslaved African named Antoine\; sycamore trees were both havens and signposts for people trying to escape enslavement\; poplar trees are historically associated with lync hing\; and willow bark has offered the gift of medicine. These trees\, and others\, testify not only to the complexity of the Black American narrati ve but also to a heritage of Black botanical expertise that\, like Native American traditions\, predates the United States entirely.
\nIn \;When Trees Testify\, award-winning plant biologist Beronda L. M ontgomery explores the ways seven trees\, as well as the cotton shrub\, ar e intertwined with Black history and culture. She reveals how knowledge su rrounding these trees has shaped America since the very beginning. As Mont gomery shows\, trees are material witnesses to the lives of enslaved Afric ans and their descendants.
\nCombining the wisdom of science and his tory with stories from her own path to botany\, Montgomery talks to majest ic trees\, and in this unique and compelling narrative\, they answer.
\ nRegister today for this insightful discussion about Black history and botanical mastery. \;
\nBeronda L. M ontgomery\, PhD\, is a writer\, researcher\, and scholar who pursues a com mon 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 organis ms (i.e.\, plants and cyanobacteria) to external light cues. Additionally\ , Beronda pursues this theme in the context of effective mentoring and lea dership of individuals\, and the role of innovative leaders in supporting success.
\nBeronda is author of two books \;When Trees Testi fy: Science\, Wisdom\, History\, and America&rsquo\;s Black Botanical Lega cy \;(2026\, Henry Holt and Co.) and \;Lessons From Plant s \;(2021\, Harvard University Press).
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