WHO
WE ARE
Our Story.
Brooklyn Heights Community Garden (BHCG) is a non-profit, .56 acre urban farm located on formerly vacant lots in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee, a historically Black and low-income neighborhood that experiences food apartheid.
The founder of Brooklyn Heights Community Garden, Nella "Ms. Pearl" Frierson, had the vision for BHCG over a decade ago. In 2009, she bought 1833 & 1835 Haynes St, which at the time were vacant lots across the street from her home. She started growing a garden on the land and inviting people to join her. In 2014, she registered BHCG as a 501c3. In 2019, she bought the house next to the garden to use as a work-housing space for garden workers, interns, and artists. BHCG is registered with the USDA Farm Service Agency as an urban farm.
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The creation of this garden stemmed from a deep need for the community to get back to its roots of connection between our elders and our young people, to rebuild and reconstruct self-awareness, self-pride, and self-esteem, and to remind people of all ages how to play in the dirt. Many of the residents in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood are elderly and on fixed incomes. There are no grocery stores within a mile from the garden. Public transportation is inadequate for residents who don't have another form of mobility. This is why our work is vital. We provide much needed fresh, healthy fruits, vegetables, and herbs right here in our own neighborhood.
2025 STAFF.
NellA 'Ms PeArl' Frierson
Founder
Ms. Pearl is Montessori-trained through Belmont University, a perma- culturalist certified by Earth Activist Training, a life coach trained by Radiant Coaches Academy, a cosmetologist certified by Tennessee Tech, and a reflexologist certified by Nashville Academy of Reflexology. She has been featured in The New York Times, The Tennessean, Nashville Business Journal, Economic Edge, Nashville Pride, and the Nashville Scene. She has won the Trailblazer Award and the Kwanzaa Nashville Award. She is a poet and writer who has performed at the Frist Museum and in churches, schools, and prisons. Her personal mantra is: "Start where you are, use what you have, do what you must! Just get busy!!!"
Ashley Brailsford, PhD
Director of Programming & Development
Ashley Brailsford, PhD is an educator who supports families and fellow educators to engage in joyful learning experiences with one another and children. Ashley spent more than 15 years as an early childhood educator in schools, a professor in higher education institutions, and a family literacy program director in a national non-profit. Throughout her career her work has centered on preparing organizations and educators to meaningfully collaborate and learn with families in communities devastated by institutional racism.
Sherese Da Silva
Director of Operations
Sherese Da Silva is a dynamic strategist, leader, and passionate community advocate. With a strong background in political science and public administration, she has built a distinguished career centered on business development, operational excellence, and community empowerment. Sherese brings extensive experience in managing small businesses and nonprofit organizations, working closely with entrepreneurs and nonprofit executives to streamline processes, strengthen infrastructure, boost revenue, and secure funding. Committed to restorative justice, she is a staunch advocate for advancing economic and political power within historically marginalized communities.
Ifeanyi Da SILVA
Director of Community Engagement & Admin
More info coming soon!
Bridget Bryant
Farm Manager
Bridget Bryant was inspired to become a farmer by a rich history of gardening with her grandparents. An herb and houseplant gardener since 2014, she started off her official growing adventures at a community garden. “I grew up in Mississippi,” says this daughter of a preacher, who inspired her with a sermon about a rabbit and a turtle, and a mother talented at crafts. “I had the privilege of knowing one set of my great grandparents and both set of my grandparents. I remember watching and then eventually helping my great grandmother in her garden, and to this day fig trees grow there. My grandfather grew black-eyed peas and other veggies in a garden in the neighborhood of Savannah Grove.”
2025 BOARD of DIRECTORS.
Xi Marquez
Board President
Ximena (Xi) Marquez is an education professional passionate about equitable access to nature for diverse youth. She is the current associate director of education and outreach for The Nature Conservancy and oversees the Conservancy’s global youth content platform, Nature Lab. Xi’s former roles included heading efforts to expand equitable global education access in the District of Columbia Public Schools and several years as a classroom educator. Xi received her bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from The George Washington University and her Master of Science degree in Education from Johns Hopkins University.
Catherine Aisbitt
Board Treasurer
More info coming soon!
Jordan Hampton
Board Member
Memphis native Jordan Hampton is a social work major at Tennessee State University. With a graduation date of May 2025, he has spent his college career as the bass drum section leader and then, in his senior year, as head drumline section leader, of the TSU Aristocrat of Bands: a dynamic, show-style marching band known for musical excellence and precision in the rich tradition of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU). Since 2023 he has also been a member of Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity, and in 2025 he joined Teach for America Corps, whose members teach in public schools in low-income areas.​