Bernadette Cozart
Encyclopedia
Bernadette Cozart was an African American
professional gardener, botanist and urban gardening
advocate
. She worked for a time with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation
. Cozart founded the Greening of Harlem Coalition in 1989 to help residents regenerate and take responsibility for their own neighborhoods, transform rundown vacant lots in Harlem
into flower garden
s and to restore existing green space
s.
In 1989, Bernadette Cozart founded the Greening of Harlem Coalition. Cozart worked to establish flower and vegetable gardens throughout Harlem and other neighborhoods in New York City.
Much of Cozart's focus was on the establishment of gardens at New York City schools. The gardens were constructed at several public schools. Among the examples of gardens designed by Cozart and the Greening of Harlem Coalition was a playground with garden boxes at P.S. 197 and a Japan
ese style garden with a pagoda
at P.S. 134.
Cozart explained her advocacy for school gardens in a 1993 New York Times piece on The Greening of Harlem Coalition, "Instead of taking children on field trip
s to see farms and gardens, why not bring nature into the community? I don't think it's fair that they should have to go outside the community to have that experience of seeing things grow."
Cozart moved from Harlem to Allentown, Pennsylvania
in 2002, where she became president of the Allentown Garden Club. Under her guidance, the club launched the Allentown Beautification Program in 2006, which aimed to beautify street intersections in Allentown using native plant
s and flowers. The program was based om the Greening of Harlem Coalition, which Cozart had founded in 1989. Cozart and the Allentown Garden Club, with the support of Allentown mayor Ed Pawlowski
, relied on donations from local businesses and community organization
s to cover the funding of the Allentown Beautification Program.
Cozart suffered a heart attack while taking a water aerobics
class at Cedar Beach in Allentown. She was rushed to St. Luke's Hospital-Allentown, but died on the way to the hospital. Cozart was pronounced dead at the hospital on July 27, 2009, at 11:27 a.m. She was 62 years old.
Allentown Mayor Pawlowski spoke of Cozart, noting that her death was a loss for the city and larger community, "She helped in greening
Allentown and making it a better place to live ... [S]he is going to be sorely missed. I, for one, am going to miss her. We are a little bit less in the city today because of her loss."
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
professional gardener, botanist and urban gardening
Urban gardening
Urban gardening may refer to:* Container garden - Growing plants in pots or other containers, rather than in ground* Urban horticulture - Growing crops or ornamental plants in urban or semi-urban setting* Urban agriculture - Food production in urban setting...
advocate
Advocate
An advocate is a term for a professional lawyer used in several different legal systems. These include Scotland, South Africa, India, Scandinavian jurisdictions, Israel, and the British Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man...
. She worked for a time with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation
New York City Department of Parks and Recreation
The City of New York Department of Parks & Recreation is the department of government of the City of New York responsible for maintaining the city's parks system, preserving and maintaining the ecological diversity of the city's natural areas, and furnishing recreational opportunities for city's...
. Cozart founded the Greening of Harlem Coalition in 1989 to help residents regenerate and take responsibility for their own neighborhoods, transform rundown vacant lots in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
into flower garden
Flower garden
A flower garden is any garden where flowers are grown for decorative purposes. Because flowers bloom at varying times of the year, and some plants are annual, dying each winter, the design of flower gardens can take into consideration to maintain a sequence of bloom and even of consistent color...
s and to restore existing green space
Open space reserve
Open space reserve, open space preserve, and open space reservation, are planning and conservation ethics terms used to describe areas of protected or conserved land or water on which development is indefinitely set aside...
s.
In 1989, Bernadette Cozart founded the Greening of Harlem Coalition. Cozart worked to establish flower and vegetable gardens throughout Harlem and other neighborhoods in New York City.
Much of Cozart's focus was on the establishment of gardens at New York City schools. The gardens were constructed at several public schools. Among the examples of gardens designed by Cozart and the Greening of Harlem Coalition was a playground with garden boxes at P.S. 197 and a Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese style garden with a pagoda
Pagoda
A pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered tower with multiple eaves common in Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and other parts of Asia. Some pagodas are used as Taoist houses of worship. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most commonly Buddhist,...
at P.S. 134.
Cozart explained her advocacy for school gardens in a 1993 New York Times piece on The Greening of Harlem Coalition, "Instead of taking children on field trip
Field trip
A field trip or excursion, known as school trip in the UK and school tour in Ireland, is a journey by a group of people to a place away from their normal environment...
s to see farms and gardens, why not bring nature into the community? I don't think it's fair that they should have to go outside the community to have that experience of seeing things grow."
Cozart moved from Harlem to Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
in 2002, where she became president of the Allentown Garden Club. Under her guidance, the club launched the Allentown Beautification Program in 2006, which aimed to beautify street intersections in Allentown using native plant
Native plant
Native plant is a term to describe plants endemic or naturalized to a given area in geologic time.This includes plants that have developed, occur naturally, or existed for many years in an area...
s and flowers. The program was based om the Greening of Harlem Coalition, which Cozart had founded in 1989. Cozart and the Allentown Garden Club, with the support of Allentown mayor Ed Pawlowski
Ed Pawlowski
Ed Pawlowski is the mayor of Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. He has held this office since January 2006.Pawlowski is a Democrat...
, relied on donations from local businesses and community organization
Community organization
Community organizations are civil society non-profits that operate within a single local community. They are essentially a subset of the wider group of nonprofits. Like other nonprofits they are often run on a voluntary basis and are self funded...
s to cover the funding of the Allentown Beautification Program.
Cozart suffered a heart attack while taking a water aerobics
Water aerobics
Water aerobics or "waterobics" is the performance of aerobic exercise in shallow water such as a swimming pool. In some areas it is known as AquaFit or "aqua aerobics", and is a type of resistance training.-Benefits:...
class at Cedar Beach in Allentown. She was rushed to St. Luke's Hospital-Allentown, but died on the way to the hospital. Cozart was pronounced dead at the hospital on July 27, 2009, at 11:27 a.m. She was 62 years old.
Allentown Mayor Pawlowski spoke of Cozart, noting that her death was a loss for the city and larger community, "She helped in greening
Greening
Greening is the process of transforming artifacts such as a space, a lifestyle or a brand image into a more environmentally friendly version...
Allentown and making it a better place to live ... [S]he is going to be sorely missed. I, for one, am going to miss her. We are a little bit less in the city today because of her loss."
Source
- Neu, Diann L. Return Blessings: Ecofeminist Liturgies Renewing the Earth, Wild Goose Publications; ISBN 1-901557-83-9 (2004)