Summary(01:00) Cultivating an empty lot -- (2:22) Garden renovations with the help of the Trust for Public Land -- (5:13) Moving to Bainbridge Street -- (6:24) Working with the local community to build the garden -- (8:50) Women’s role in building the garden -- (10:20) Plants grown in the garden -- (11:02) Tips for growing okra -- (13:06) Getting electricity in the garden -- (14:24) Retiring from the garden -- (15:48) Rallies at City Hall in the 1990s -- (18:14) Meeting fellow gardeners and community organizers -- (24:23) Visits from members of Brooklyn Queens Land Trust and Manhattan Land Trust -- (28:25) Growth after the garden conventions -- (32:10) Changes in the neighborhood -- (34:21) Decision to leave the garden -- (43:03) Support of local politicians -- (46:37) Hosting jazz bands in the garden -- (51:57) Impact of early funding from the Trust for Public Land -- (56:00) New York Times interview -- (01:01:28) Experience as the first black switch woman at her telephone company job -- (1:07:01) Retirement and taxes
NoteAudio interview conducted on February 21, 2017, by Zachary Schulman and Amelia Blanquera at the home of Mary Jones at 303 Bainbridge Street. Collected through Our Streets, Our Stories, an oral history project of Brooklyn Public Library. This interview stems from a shared partnership with Brooklyn Public Library and Brooklyn Queens Land Trust under the name of Our Gardens, Our Stories.
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TitleOral history interview with Mary Jones on 2017 February 21.