BUFFALO, N.Y. —  Who would have ever guessed there could be so much life to be found in the median of a busy street?

Members of the CopperTown neighborhood know the value of green space in an urban area, and they took to the Jesse Clipper African American Veterans Memorial Saturday to educate people about the green infrastructure project.

What You Need To Know

  • CopperTown community members took to the Jesse Clipper African American Veterans Memorial to educate people about the green infrastructure project

  • The event was also a true celebration of community and a lesson on its rich heritage

  • Three rose bushes were dedicated to commemorate the lives of three members of the community who passed away

  •  Community leaders and local organizations were able to teach people about the gardens' role in storm water management

The medians along William Street contain rain gardens that were put in three years ago. On Saturday, thanks to funding from a New York Department of Environmental Conservation grant, community leaders and local organizations were able to teach people about the gardens' role in storm water management.

The event wasn’t just about environmentalism; it was a true celebration of community and a lesson on its rich heritage. Neighbors were also given plants to grow their own produce at home. The highlight of the day was the dedication of three rose bushes to commemorate the lives of three beloved members of the community who passed away.

“Your families were what I call pioneers," said CopperTown Block Club president Gail Wells to the families in attendance. "We were down in this neighborhood in these homes way before the vision for the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor was solidified.”

Dawn Hooser-Holt received one of the plants to honor her departed husband Marlon, who dedicated much of his life to beautifying the city.

“He wrote the Little Harlem historic marker that’s on Michigan and Broadway," Hooser-Holt said. "On August 24, we’re going to have a big celebration to plant his flowers.”

The significance of the date in August, she said, is that the day was Marlon's birthday.

Mary Lee also received flowers for her late husband, Ivan, but she and their two daughters Ishawna and Sonya, plan to have them planted right at the memorial site so that he will remain symbolically part of the community that loved him.

“It was a nice surprise that Gail had started for us with the CopperTown Block Club and I’m really honored," Mary said. "It feels great.”

From the ecology of the land to remembering the people who shaped its history, the CopperTown gathering was a celebration of life in all shapes and colors.