“The Home Place” is best described by its subtitle: “Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature.” J. Drew Lanham’s love for nature, especially of birds, and nurtured by his upbringing in rural, western South Carolina, is palpable throughout.
This began in childhood. “When the chores were finally done, however, I could break free of the house and enter a fantasy world of earth and sky.” Despite this desire to escape, he was also a good student, and was encouraged to pursue an undergraduate education in engineering. Although this path would have likely led to a more profitable career, Lanham realized his heart had a different goal, and is now a Professor of Wildlife Ecology at Clemson University.
This was not an easy choice, and Lanham laments that very few other men of color have pursued the same career path. It also is sometimes a dangerous choice; black men found with binoculars in a rural setting may risk their lives.
His advice is simple: “Get more people of color ‘out there.'” Echoing the thoughts of Glave, he adds: “As young people of color reconnect with what so many of their ancestors knew—that our connections to the land run deep, like the taproots of mighty oaks; that the land renews and sustains us—maybe things will begin to change.”
Excerpted from the Winter 2018 Arboretum Bulletin.