West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, Red Bike & Green-Atlanta, and Fort Negrita will host an Earth-inspired celebration Saturday, April 13, 2019 at the Outdoor Activity Center in the Bush Mountain community of the Oakland City neighborhood in SW Atlanta.
The celebration is a combination of WAWA’s 13th annual Urban Forest Festival, RBG-ATL’s 7th annual Bikerversary, and Fort Negrita’s 3rd annual bEARTHday Fest. “I knew the three organizations needed to combine forces, and this celebration will be the perfect mixture of cherishing natural spaces and living alternatively to preserve those natural spaces for generations to come,” said Ree Shreeves, founder of Fort Negrita, a cooperative dedicated to increasing Earth awareness.
The tri-collaborative celebration is an opportunity for attendees to plug into the Westside’s 26-acre urban forest at the Outdoor Activity Center, which includes the Atlanta Black Cracker practice field, the site for the original Hartnett Elementary School, and a centenarian beech tree, affectionately known as “Grandfather Beech”.
“This Celebration builds on the legacy of resilience and collective power of one of Atlanta’s earliest African-American communities, Bush Mountain. Nestled within the heart of this historic community, the Outdoor Activity Center serves as the gateway to exploring the original, native, old growth forests of Atlanta and the Piedmont region of Georgia,” said Dr. Na’Taki Osborne Jelks, Co-Founder, West Atlanta Watershed Alliance.
The celebration’s programming is triple-packed with activities for all including: Workshops including wilderness survival, living communally, forest foraging, and composting at home. Hands on children activities organized through the Urban Forest Festival partners. A clothes swap for attendees to minimize their wardrobe, and pick up a few new-ish items. Hikes through the forest with historical insight about one of Atlanta’s earliest African – American communities, Bush Mountain. DJ sets by MikeFlo, Empress Rah, and ChelXi, Upcycle stations including DIY home goods and screenprinting, bring old t-shirts to upcycle! A community bike ride, for Black identifying riders, hosted by RBG-ATL leaving from Gordon White Park park at noon, and ending at the Outdoor Activity Center for the festivities.
“We finna play, party and practice being our ancestors wildest dreams,“ said zahra alabanza, founder of RBG-ATL. “RBG-ATL encourages not only bike riders, but also outdoor enthusiast, families, young folk and anyone who wants to have fun enjoy each other and the earth. This event is bound to give you life”!
The Urban Forest Festival is an opportunity for families to learn about our incredible urban forests and wildlife nestled throughout Southwest Atlanta via educational and entertaining exhibits, live wildlife, and guided hikes and tours of our 26-acre urban food forest at the Outdoor Activity Center. A link for registration to this event is here: 13th Annual Urban Forest Festival. Bikerversary is a day of using biking as a tool to live our best lives by riding in community through the community, supporting Black business and being easy on the earth. bEARTHday Fest is an opportunity for Atlantans to gain more practical skills for living more gently on the Earth and a celebration of the planet we call home. All three events will come full force on Saturday, April 13, 2019 to preserve the planet we call home.
Enviro-novice and experts alike can register to attend here.
If you plan to attend the community bike ride, for Black identifying riders only, please RSVP here. If you are interested in sponsoring, would like more information, or would like to volunteer, contact Anamarie Shreeves.
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