Profiles in Botany:Margaret James Murray Washington

This accomplished educator brought the idea of horticulture as a viable occupation to Black women in the United States

There is a Holy Trinity of work done by hand that the most revered Black rural southerly woman — ones that have been yield sainthood status in the community — have all seemed to master .

First , there’scooking . As any self - respecting Southern chef knows , you do n’t just show up to kinsperson functions with potato salad , dulcet potato pie , and dressing . Youearnyour place and patiently await your turn in credit line foryearsbefore you are worthy of bringing such sacred smasher to the table .

Up next issewing . Just think of the famed women of Gees Bend , Alabama , whose power to stitch a mean quilt turn their local craft into a world - renowned artistry pattern .

eventually , there isgardening . A woman with an ability to grow solid food and who is equally skilled in the subservience of artistic creation to nature is rightfully revered . The tasting of her dwelling - grow kickshaw is further complement by the beauty of her smother garden .

And while many charwoman have touted their bragging right as a top chef or lord seamstress of their generation , historically , many were not so quick to state their case for being an good plantsman — until a char name Margaret Murray Washington changed the perception of what it meant to have a vocation in outdoor oeuvre as a cleaning woman . And she did n’t just make the special attainment set of the art of gardening acceptable ; she made it mandatory .

Early life and career in education

Born costless in Macon , Mississippi , in 1865 ( though scholar debate that this is her actual birth year ) , Margaret James Murray attended Fisk University , a historically Black college and university in Nashville , Tennessee . There she received a liberal arts didactics . Upon commencement ceremony she join the faculty of Tuskegee Institute in 1890 , where she get as an English instructor and channelise the Women Industries Department until her death . As a famous pedagog and public figure , she was most famously known as “ Mrs. Booker T. Washington ” when she became the third married woman of Tuskegee founding father and main Booker Taliaferro Washington in 1893 .

Margaret James Murray Washington work so indefatigably alongside her married man to promote industrial educational activity at Tuskegee that in the summertime of 1899 , wealthy helper gift the couple a misstep to Europe as a sign of their regard and appreciation . And it was n’t her sojourn with Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle or interaction with Susan B. Anthony that were the highlights of this head trip — it was a spontaneous visit to Swanley Horticultural College that get her to elevate the curriculum for the women student of Tuskegee .

An overseas visit inspires a new direction stateside

Prior to jaw Swanley , Washington heard a discourse at the International Council of Women ’s meeting titled “ Farming in Its Various Branches as an Occupation for Women . ” Here she was exposed to mind that created a lasting shimmy in her percept of what a fair sex ’s role in gardening was and could be in the Southern United States . During the word , disciplines such as beekeeping , agribusiness , horticulture , and gardening were referenced as viable life history for women . Agriculture had always been a part of Tuskegee ’s base ; it was a school where students work on the land , built the edifice , grew their own food , and raise their own stock . acquisition trade such as sewing , millinery , nursing , and dressmaking was democratic and even encouraged . But the art of gardening and horticulture was not champion as much as practical employment for women . For the first postslavery coevals , the fieldwork of gardening had not yet shaken its roots in the terrible history tied to bondage .

A visit after the meeting to what was then known as Swanley Horticultural College helped to further heighten Washington ’s already strong bequest as a champion of progressive woman . At Swanley , Washington observed woman engaged in the study of agrarian and horticultural work . She picture women in the garden planting vegetables , caring for blush wine , and uprise food in the nursery . Women were also in the laboratory canvas farming chemistry , botany , zoology , and applied mathematics .

For the first postslavery generation , the fieldwork of horticulture had not yet shaken its tooth root in the horrific story tied to bondage .

As she watch women plant source , pruning fruit trees , and learning the art of beekeeping , Washington knew the southerly country — with their existing agrarian production — were ideally mark up for alike outdoor work . The realization that horticulture could provide unbounded opportunities for Southern cleaning woman sparked a life history pin for Washington . At the fourth dimension , out of the approximately 1,000 students attending Tuskegee , half were women .

A wide-reaching horticulture program is launched

Upon her riposte to Alabama , Washington inaugurated a curriculum heavy in ornamental horticulture for untried charwoman at Tuskegee . The women were taken straightaway into the field and taught how to lie out and beautify dooryard and how to handle for shrubbery , flower , orchards , and yield . to boot , they learned beekeeping and how to manage a nursing home garden .

Floriculture theme such as the harmony of color and the utilization of the form and size of flowers were also available . Other lesson were put up in landscape painting horticulture and marketplace gardening . The women learned entomology , root and stem grafting with participating and abeyant bud , and the trimming and shaping of bed and mete . Propagation by superimposed cuttings , the division of root , and come apart electric light offsets were also taught . As if all of that were not enough , the course of action studies also included design instruction for private and public grounds , roads , parks , walk , and streets . Finally , vegetation was covered in the nursery , along with other topical instruction on mineralogy , gathering cum , and beneficial birds and worm . This course of subject field continue over two years , and the untried women who completed the course will it skilled in the knowledge of gardening .

A lasting legacy

While we do n’t know how many womanhood left Tuskegee and go into the field of ornamental horticulture as a profession , we do know that the students were charged with taking what they learned and prepare others throughout their community of interests . They would become the instructor of generations of at - home horticulturists , floriculturists , rosarians , and beekeepers to follow .

While former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama lead the horticultural renaissance that is permeating America today , it is the first lady of Tuskegee , Margaret Murray Washington , who shifted the sensing of women in horticulture in the United States . She is responsible for ushering in the wakening .

— Abra Lee is a southerly plantsman whose research and writing explores the history , folklore , and prowess of horticulture .

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Margaret Murray Washington championed the idea that women could find a viable and engaging career in horticulture.Photo: George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress)

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black and white portrait of Margret Murray Washington

Margaret Murray Washington championed the idea that women could find a viable and engaging career in horticulture.Photo: George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress)

black and white photograph of Margret Murray Washington sitting in a chair with book in hand

A graduate of Fisk University, Margaret James Murray joined the faculty of Tuskeegee Institute early on in her career as an educator. She later married the school principle, Booker T. Washington.Photo: George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress)

image of women working outside at the Tuskegee Institute from the book Working With The Hands by Booker T. Washington

This is the most famous image of young women working outside as part of the newly implemented horticulture program at Tuskegee Institute. The image comes from the bookWorking With the Handsby Booker T. Washington.Photo:Working With the Handsby Booker T. Washington via the HathiTrust

black and white photograph of Margaret Murray Washington

The horticulture curriculum established under the leadership of Margaret Murray Washington inspired countless numbers of young Black women to follow a new path of educational excellence. The knowledge learned at Tuskegee—from plant propagation to beekeeping—was then taken back to local communities, where it was passed onto future generations of women horticulturists.Photo: Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (New York Public Library)