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Akwe:kon Garden Hopes to Heal and Honor Indigenous Students
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Built earlier this year by Indigenous students and Cornell Botanical Garden, a new garden in Akwe:kon aims to provide healing and sense of belonging to the Indigenous community.
The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/tag/botanic-gardens/)
Built earlier this year by Indigenous students and Cornell Botanical Garden, a new garden in Akwe:kon aims to provide healing and sense of belonging to the Indigenous community.
On my first day ever at Cornell, my family and I got a bit lost. It was the day before move-in, and we were exploring campus for ourselves, far off the beaten path toward the easternmost part of campus where the teaching barns are. A Minnesotan family of animal lovers, we had seen farms on the campus map and were determined to investigate them ourselves. Finally, after a long walk in the rain, we stumbled upon a collection of several different barns, sheds and greenhouses.
The Cornell Botanical Gardens further environmental goals towards a carbon-neutral campus through modern initiatives.
Content warning: This article includes discussions of racism, white supremacy and homophobia.
When I was sitting in UNILWYL 1156: Queer Identities and Beyond, last semester, I was shocked to hear the words “Cornell Plantations” and learn about its history. At first, I thought it was one of those scenarios that was made up just to educate students. On the other hand, I wasn’t in total shock. Cornell is an Ivy. No matter how diverse, it’s still old and was founded by people who never had a minority’s interest at heart.
Spring has sprung, and the Cornell Botanic Gardens offer pandemic-safe, warm-weather delights.
“A lot of pollinators can’t travel far distances without stops for nectar,” said Lev Krasnovsky ’21. “If one green space is separated by a parking lot and road from another green space, [pollinators] are stuck in an island.”
The $68,723 grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation funds the efforts of individuals including Whitmore, a forest entomologist who works with Cornell Botanic Gardens.
“I simply cannot allow this disease to win, which is why I am trying to advertise the Walk as much as possible.”
There’s a spot unique to this campus where I go when Cornell is being especially cruel. It spans about two or three square miles between CALS and North Campus and houses an arboretum, wildflower garden, trails and more. For the past three years I’ve made this place part of my daily routine, running and hiking there most mornings. I still feel rewarded when I climb its hills to see its views. I still get a sense of exploration even though I have already explored most of its twists and turns.