SHADY HAVEN poetry form nonet With limbs spread wide in invitation this tree became a safe haven Men and women boys and girls flocked to its dappled shade Beneath breeze-kissed leaves they learned to read Slaves no more Hopeful Free
Location Hampton University Hampton Virginia Species Live Oak After the American Civil War erupted in 1861 hundreds of enslaved African Americans escaped to Fort Monroe a Union stronghold in Confederate Virginia Previously Virginia law prohibited slaves from receiving an education Mary Peake a free Black woman began teaching the runaways to read and write She held her first classes beneath an oak tree Although Mary died in 1862 her dream to educate her people continued In January 1863 President Abraham Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation The Black community gathered around the oak to hear a reading of this proclamation It declared the freedom of all slaves held in Confederate territories After the war ended a college was founded near the tree to educate Black students The Emancipation Oak still stands on the campus of Hampton University as a reminder that all people deserve the freedom to learn EMANCIPATION OAK
Gracious Gift poetry form sedoka spring arrives defies the bleakness of winter skies with pink confetti showers bursting petals swirl here and far across the sea a friendship celebration
Japanese Cherry Blossom Trees Location Washington D.C Species Ornamental Cherry Tree A sure sign of spring in Washington D.C. is the blooming of thousands of cherry blossom trees People treasure the flowers while birds enjoy their small bitter fruit In 1912 the city of Tokyo presented a gift of more than 3,000 Japanese cherry blossom trees to the city of Washington as a symbol of friendship between the United States and Japan First Lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Chinda the wife of the Japanese ambassador planted the first two trees in Potomac Park Since then several first ladies including Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama have continued that tradition by planting new cherry blossom trees in D.C. parks in the spring Today the National Cherry Blossom Festival welcomes more than a million visitors to the capital city each year
