Join us for Lessons from the River and Land Lecture Series
at Ralph Wilson Park
This series of hour-long lectures from guest speakers will be based on topics of interest from our Ralph Wilson Park programming visitor surveys. Topics will include environmental education, black and indigenous history and other topics relevant to Detroit's history and natural surroundings.
June 15th- Dr. John Hartig: Making Nature Part of Everyday Urban Life Through Ralph Wilson Park
A recent scientific study found that between 1800 and 2020, human connection with the natural world has declined by more than 60%. This decline was driven by urbanization, loss of nature experiences, and environmental degradation. Ralph Wilson Park has been designed to create memories through outdoor recreation, reconnect people with nature, and help make nature part of everyday urban life. On this walk through the park, you will see and learn about creative ways of bringing conservation to cities.
July 20th- Kim Simmons: A Family, a River and Freedom: Detroit's Underground Railroad Story
Kimberly Simmons, the 2022 Michigan Humanities Champion is the Executive Director of the Detroit River Project organization, working to establish the Historic Detroit River as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Simmons’ program “Caroline Quarlls, A Family Legacy of Freedom'' is a partner program with the National Park Service Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. Simmons has presented to national and international audiences and was a panelist at U.N. General Assembly commemorating The Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade in 2015. Lecturing as a Visiting Scholar at UAlabama on integrity in educating about cultural heritage, she is the author / co-author of several books including, “A Fluid Frontier, Slavery, Resistance and the Underground Railroad in the Detroit River Borderlands” (WSU Press 2016) and “Ride, Cycle the World”, (Random House Penguin 2021). Simmons is the VPresident of the Essex County Black Historical Research Society. (Windsor Ontario)
August 17 - TBD