How a Garden in Detroit Became a Link to Ancestral Heritage


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When planting season approached in my second year in Detroit, I realized that the garden was an opportunity to connect to deeper ancestral roots — I could explore my identity through what I grew. As a result, I felt more at home in my new community. In this small corner of Detroit, I worked to grow the fruits and vegetables that would offer a connection to the generations who came before me.

I grew four varieties of mint and spread them on tablecloths laid out across my house, drying the leaves the same way my parents did while I was growing up. I covered the garden with green beans and all summer long, made them into a stew cooked frequently in Armenian households, using a recipe from an Armenian cookbook that was over 100 years old. One day, I came home with a pomegranate tree. It was a long shot, but I hoped it would eventually bear the fruit that for millennia had come to symbolize abundance and fertility for communities like mine across the Middle East.

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Liana Aghajanian