DEARBORN – George Washington Carver’s accomplishments and wide-ranging interests will be honored in a public symposium, “Carver’s Legacies: Food, Farming and the Future of Agriculture,” at 9 a.m. Saturday at The Henry Ford.
Admission is $37 for members of The Henry Ford and $45 for non-members, and includes morning coffee, admission to the symposium, buffet luncheon and admission to Henry Ford Museum for the day. To reserve a seat, call (313) 982-6001 or go to www.thehenryford.org.
Carver was a groundbreaking scientist, educator and humanitarian with a mission to bring practical knowledge to those in need, to discover nature’s secrets and harness their power for the good of mankind. Many believe his devotion to finding practical solutions to complex problems such as hunger, poverty and environmental devastation is significantly important as these issues still challenge the United States today.
Keynote speakers Walter Hill and Will Allen will reflect on Carver’s accomplishments and share their own agendas as they relate to Carver’s vision.
Hill — the dean of the College of Agricultural, Environmental and Natural Sciences and Director of George Washington Carver Agricultural Experimental Station at Tuskegee University — will speak on “Carver: The Greatest Good.”
Allen — the founder and chief executive officer of Growing Power, a nonprofit organization specializing in urban farming, recipient of a MacArthur “genius grant” and chosen as one of the 2010 Time Magazine 100 People Who Most Affect Our World — will present “Growing Food and Community in the City.”
Ending the symposium, moderator Rick Foster, W.K. Kellogg Chair of Sustainable Food Systems and director of Michigan State University Extension’s Greening Michigan Institute, will lead a panel of food and agricultural activists in a discussion with the audience. Panelists include Dan Carmody, president of Eastern Market Corp.; Taja Sevelle, executive director and founder of Urban Farming; Michael Score, president of Hantz Farms; and Gary Wozniak, chief development officer of SHAR Foundation and RecoveryPark.