Woods of Memory
Imagine a world of flowering trees standing in honor of women lost,
telling their story for us all to reflect upon.
Woods of Memory is a community project dedicated to honoring missing women from marginalized communities by planting a feminine tree in her name. We call attention to a woman forgotten by society but grieved by her loved ones, and the concrete deserts in our communities, plowed barren of trees in times of cheap development. The tree, hand selected by the adopter from a list of available trees, represents that woman. The ceremony of planting this tree is a project of community, community chosen by the adopter, in an act of love and honor. The act is punctuated by the burial of a small box of memory, at her base. This chest will contain small objects of memory, honoring her memory and marking the loss. We bury this in honor, with hopes of moving on, building hope without forgetting her contribution to this world. The tree carries on for generations, nurturing her community with much needed shade, bounty and beauty.
Woods of Memory calls attention to the atrocity of devaluing the souls of the women lost, often indigenous, black or brown, or transgender. The women whose disappearance was once, or is still a mystery, we honor her as a community. The trees in their honor will live on, visible in their community, caring for loved ones, providing shade or food to those who need, a gift of love for a healing community.
The stories of these women are personal, in the voice of the adopter, told in her native language. We will translate them into English and Spanish, and as we grow, we will add translations in other Safe Harbor languages. Love, grief, community, healing, and caring are feelings that unite us at the level of our hearts. Their memory will live in the shade of her tree’s leaves and the fruit of her branches. With a commitment of care from adopters, each tree will thrive to shade multiple generations and carry the story of a women loved and forgotten no more.
How you can help?
We have a goal to begin planting in fall of 2025. There are several ways to participate in Woods of Memory. They fall into the categories of: Adopting or Sponsoring, and becoming a Community Partner.
How the Tacoma Pilot project will work?
We are piloting our project in Tacoma, a city like many, struggling to address the inequities of underserved communities, including the lack of tree canopy. Tree canopy is a critical feature to surviving the rising temperatures of our world. In Tacoma, there is a huge disparity in the intensity of summer temperatures in underserved neighborhoods. It is not unusual to see families crowded beneath a single neighborhood tree looking for refuge on a hot day, when often uninsulated apartments and homes are dangerous to people’s health. Woods of Memory will not undo the injustice, nor will it cover neighborhoods in trees overnight, but it can unite us as to act as communities to add shade, build hope, one tree, one remembered woman at a time.
This project is not ours; it belongs to all of us as the branches of our woodland expand to unite us in community. We welcome input and feedback (please be constructive with criticism), especially from those who suffer the loss of a woman they would like to honor.
Additionally, trees are as diverse as we are, and they have been used as a tool for gentrification in our areas. We welcome any feedback that could help us change this "landscape."