The African American Cultural Garden (AAACG) has a long history. It dates back to 1961, when Judge Leo Jackson first advocated for the establishment of the African American Cultural Garden. Jackson was a Glenville resident, and recognized the need for Black representation in Cleveland City Council, and representation in the cultural gardens. 

The lack of Black representation in local government is what kept this endeavor stagnant for years, according to some accounts, but many Black community leaders rallied and unified people toward establishing the African American Cultural Garden. 

In the late 1960s, the Black Power movement was blooming, with many residents frustrated with the lingering effects of systemic racism. Professor Booker T. Hall, who established the first Black studies program at a community college in Ohio while at Cuyahoga Community College, was a prominent figure in inspiring his students and community members to mobilize to get this garden established as a place of pride and autonomy, according to the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. 

Robert P. Madison was the founder of the first Black-owned architecture firm in Ohio, and worked on a series of cultural garden designs in 1969. 

Plans were made for several different sites, which were all rejected  by the Cleveland Cultural Garden Federation (CCGF).

The CCGF told members of the AAACG that an African American Cultural Garden was not needed, and since Black people are part of America, they didn’t need a separate garden, the Cleveland Civil Rights Trail website notes. Instead, they could erect busts of prominent African American figures in the community. This did not satisfy Hall, and he continued his work and was able to successfully dedicate the current garden space for the AACG in 1977. 

On October 23rd, 1977, the official dedication of the land brought together many community members and dignitaries from Kenya to celebrate the milestone. 

Yet, as the land was secured on a different plot than previous plans were designed for, the land sat with no physical presence or architectural plans for a few decades. Booker T. Hall passed away in 1994. 

In the new millenia, community groups worked to galvanize and get a plan approved by the necessary parties, and gained the support of then Mayor Frank Jackson. Mayor Jackson brought on Dan Bickerstaff, who designed the current plans for the garden.

“I spent 6 months before I even drew a line thinking about our past, present and future,” says Bickerstaff in a documentary titled “The Journey of the African American Cultural Garden: A Place to Call Our Own.”

His plans are soaked in historical references such as ancient Egyptian architecture and the Door of No Return at Cape Coast Castle in Ghana, where enslaved people were forced onto ships bound for the United States.  

“When thinking of the past, at the top of the garden is the Door of No Return, which tells the story of our ancestors,” says Bickerstaff. 

The Door of No Return installation was erected in 2016 and represents the first phase of the architectural plans, and is currently up at the garden. This corridor allows visitors to walk and reflect on the experience of such a harrowing pathway, narrow and dark with a square water feature planned to be in place to signify the middle passage. 

“I remember when I was sitting at my desk researching these plans, and often just weeping, understanding what our people experienced leaving Africa, crossing the Atlantic, and the ones who made it. Also, how they experienced slavery, reconstruction and Jim Crow … it was important for me to be immersed so I could really bring deep meaning to this garden,” says Bickerstaff. 

In the documentary, Bickerstaff also discusses how the places for the rest of the garden hold deep symbolism, such as the black granite platform with a large North Star etched into it. The North Star symbolizes freedom, as enslaved people used the North Star to escape to freedom on the underground railroad. At the front of this emergent sculpture, a pyramid shaped sculpture with water flowing down the center, to symbolize Black people’s emergence in this country despite hardship and struggle. 

The shape of the architectural plans on the hill is reminiscent of Queen Hapshepsut’s temple in Egypt, with a significant ramp and structure emerging from a hillside.

The theme of past, present and future is apparent around the garden, especially with the Sankofa adinkra symbol in the Association of African American Cultural Garden (AAACG) logo, which represents looking to the past to inform the future. 

“We inform our past, as we live in the present, to secure our future” says Carl Ewing, president of the AAACG. 

Past and Present

Given the history and context of the cultural garden, I spoke with AAACG Executive Director Obie Shelton about the new budget approvals, future plans and community work to be done. 

“Our contractors said they can come back and complete construction once all the funds have been raised, and that is our main focus right now. We have to reach and inspire people within the Black community to embrace this garden as theirs and support it individually and monetarily,” says Shelton. 

There is an intentional theme of autonomy and collective ownership in this project, and AAACG is looking for this to be the key motivator for Black Clevelanders. The group’s goals include the park being a gathering space, a celebratory space, and a place of pride, joy and resilience in ancestral memories. 

“Someone of your ancestry came here in chains, and someone was liberated. Northeast Ohio was a gate for freedom. Our lineage persevered, and now we are here,” says Shelton, pridefully. 

Currently, the garden is about $2 million short of its budget for completing construction. However, Cleveland City Council approved freeing up to $325,000 that was earmarked for this project, which was approved late last year. Those funds were awarded to AAACG from the Cleveland Foundation in 2021, but have been held by the city since then. A vote from the city council was required to release the money to a central account. These funds are for phase two of construction and donor engagement. Phase two includes the aforementioned terrace with the North Star, which would seat up to 300 people. 

Lavita Ewing, development chair of AAACG, says that Mayor Justin Bibb has lent his support to the completion of this project, similar to Mayor Jackson. 

It is significant to note here how much Black leadership in local government has developed in 25 years, and what it has meant for the project as compared to the 1960s and 70s, where Black community members and leaders were told that this project was unimportant, and plans were kept stagnant. 

Many council members are also urging the mayor to continue to find funding from the city for the endeavor, and many local advocates see it as a worthwhile cause. 

Cuyahoga County Council’s Community Development Committee approved legislation on Jan. 23 that would put $10,000 of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money toward the African American Cultural Garden, but the budget to complete construction is still short by about $2 million.  

With backing from the city, the next step in the journey will be galvanizing the Black community in Cleveland to support the garden and its fundraising efforts, as well as getting more people familiar with the garden’s past, present and future. 

“We want to get people into the garden space, and having positive experiences, to really feel like this is a place they belong and feel pride for,” says Shelton. 

“We’ve had some ideas to host events like golfing in the garden, collaborating with local Black businesses and festivals like Fresh Fest, as well as expanding on our current events like our annual Juneteenth Festival,” says Shelton. 

“We’ve been doing a lot of work to amass the large amount of donors we have, and we will continue to work and gain the support of more Black American residents in Cleveland. When more of us buy into it we can get the attention of larger donors, and really get this project finished,” says Shelton 

Having a space in Cleveland specifically made to showcase our heritage, narrative and future visions is an important cultural milestone for Black Clevelanders, and something I believe more people will become excited about once the word is out, and more people understand the full story. 

Personally, I used to think the garden space was underutilized and unmanaged when I used to drive past, but now since I know the full story and I am able to visualize the significance of the full plans, I fully support the garden and hope to be a part of its full realization. 

Shelton invites any interested parties to email him at obedshelton@gmail.com, with any ideas for support, helping with fundraising or potential collaboration. You can purchase a membership to support administrative operation, or donate directly to aid with garden construction.