“Buffalo's Emerald Necklace:  How Environmental Racism Devastated a Community and Destroyed an Olmsted Treasure” will travel through Buffalo, NY history to share the story of how its emerald necklace of parks and parkways, created and designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, and a well-connected, albeit segregated, Black Buffalonian community was destroyed with the excavation of Humboldt Parkway and intrusion of the six-lane Kensington Expressway (Island Press).

A walk back in time to remember Buffalo as a locus of promise for many Black Americans by way of the Underground Railroad, Great Migration, as well as the Niagara Movement; Queen City’s green space beautification soiled by racism and residential segregation, and finally a look forward to how Humboldt Parkway’s community can be revitalized, reconnected and overcome the devastations of past transportation and urban planning decisions will all be covered in the book’s primary themes.

“Buffalo’s Emerald Necklace” will serve as a literary tale that brings to light a social injustice and the longstanding impacts of environment racism while presenting actions and steps of community reclamation and restoration to achieve healing and hope.

For a preview of “Buffalo’s Emerald Necklace”, please see the video and to learn more about the book, speaking engagements or interviews can be requested through Mildred’s Kitchen .