EARTHDAY: April 1993

 When I was appointed director of the Paterson Free Public Library ( the first black person to occupy that position since the library was founded in 1885 as NewJersey’s first  chartered public library), one of the first things I did was to plant a tree on EARTHDAY in April of 1993. The tree was purchased for the occasion by the Friends of the Library, under the leadership of Dr. Richard Rumania, then president of the Friends of the Paterson Library. The tree was planted in the south-east corner of the employees parking lot , near the  Children’s Department at the Main Library on 250 Broadway.

The maintenance staff , their supervisor, Roger, myself and a pastor from one of the churches were present. Before the tree was planted, I talked about our responsibilities  to save the Earth as God’s  creatures, and to continue to ensure that the planet we call our home will remain sustainable and livable for future generations. 

I also poured libation asking the animistic spirit of the tree to ensure its survival. I made a specific reference to the premier village god called Nana Kofi Dade at the village of Akaa- Buem, in the Oti Region of Ghana, West Africa where I was born and raised. Nana Kofi Dade’s shrine is enshrined in a majestic and venerable Mahogany tree at the outskirts of the village. The villagers believe that the tree’s  animistic spirits protect the village from natural disasters and catastrophes. Nana’s chief priestess always warned the chief of the village about any potential calamities when she was in trance.  I guess I wanted our EARTHDAY tree to have the same powers.

Then the priest offered an inspiring Christian prayer as we all embraced the tree we planted that day asking the Almighty God to bless that tree, and to help all humankind to strive to protect Mother Earth or “AsaseYaa” in Twi. It has been several years since we planted that tree in Paterson. I hope it is still alive.

Monday, April 22nd 2024 was EARTHDAY. According to Elizabeth Wiese’s article In USA Today, we have made progress towards climate change.  The article is entitled: For EARTHDAY 2024, experts are spreading optimism-not doom. Here is Why. Also refer to Ritchie: Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation To Build A Sustainable Planet. Jonathan Wiener. (1.)Planet Earth (2.)The Next One Hundred Years-Shaping the Fate of Our Living Earth. Read one of these books before 2025 EARTHDAY 



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