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.
2026 TEAM.
Founder
NellA 'Ms PeArl' Frierson
Ms. Pearl, community healer, is the heartbeat of BHCG. The visionary. The builder. The nurturer. She’s Montessori-trained, a certified permaculturalist, reflexologist, cosmetologist, life coach, and a poet! She has been featured in The New York Times and has won multiple awards for her powerful community work. Her energy is unmatched and her mantra says it all: “Start where you are, use what you have, do what you must! Just get busy!!!” We love her deeply.
Ashley Brailsford
Programs and strategics partnerships support
Ashley has been an educator for 15+ years. She’s all about joyful learning, especially with families in communities impacted by racism. She makes sure our programs are rooted in purpose, equity, and love.
Sherese Da Silva
Operations support
Sherese is the strategy queen. With a background in political science and public administration, she helps nonprofits and small businesses run smoother, grow stronger, and stay rooted in justice. Basically, she keeps us solid.
Ifeanyi Da SILVA
Community ambassadorship
Ifeanyi is a movement-maker. She has led grassroots campaigns, teaches English to immigrant/refugee students, and builds out programs that center healing, culture, and connection. She’s here to make sure everyone feels seen and held.
Bridget Bryant
Farm management
Bridget brings generational wisdom and care to every garden bed. She grew up gardening with her grandparents in Mississippi and has been growing herbs and houseplants since 2014. Her connection to the land runs deep, and you can feel it in every harvest.
Victoria VL
Marketing and communications support
Victoria is a mental health advocate, artist, and community weaver. With a background in early childhood + nature education and years of volunteering with youth, she has spoken publicly in support of survivors and advocates for healing-centered spaces. As an Indigenous Mexican-American mother, she is deeply rooted in ancestral magic and believes community connection is medicine. She is passionate about culture, environmental justice, equity, and mutual aid.
Mariah Ragland
Food programming
Mariah is a Nashville-based creative and chef whose work centers vegan soul food as a tool for storytelling, culture, and connection. Rooted in Southern tradition and Black foodways, her cooking reimagines comfort classics with intention, flavor, and care. Known for her humor, style, and people-first approach, our chef in residence uses food to create spaces that honor community, joy, and collective nourishment—proving that plant-based food can be both soulful and deeply satisfying.
Jimmi McBride
Community ambassadorship
Jimmi is a multifaceted artist, poet, mentor, and certified yoga instructor based in Nashville. As the owner of Smart Model LLC, she leads vibrant, chakra-inspired tie-dye experiences that combine creativity with healing. She has been a dedicated volunteer at Brooklyn Heights and McGruder Gardens, and she helps our youth connect to themselves, their community, and the earth—through art, service, and a whole lot of joy.
2026 BOARD of DIRECTORS.
Tosin Abari
Board member
Tosin is a former college athlete and football administrator turned dynamic healer. A holistic wellness practitioner and emerging homeopath, he is passionate about using alternative healing modalities and mindful meditation practices for those who wish to heal from and/or amplify their athletic performance. He is also on a mission to bring holistic wellness to disenfranchised and marginalized groups, believing that all people should have access to all types of healing. He has followed an unconventional path to healing, having independently studied nutrition and alternative modalities for almost two decades on his own.
Catherine Aisbitt
Board member
Catherine grew up farming in the West of Ireland. Her journey led her through permaculture, community organizing, and urban farming in East San Jose, California. Now in Nashville, she co-founded Dancing People to inspire joy and connection through movement. Her philosophy is that food and culture grow strongest in community.
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Jordan Hampton
Board member
Jordan, a Memphis native, spent his college career at Tennessee State University, where he majored in social work, as the bass drum section leader and then as head drumline section leader of the TSU Aristocrat of Bands: a show-style marching band known for musical excellence and precision in the rich tradition of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). 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.
Siray Koroma
Board member
Siray prioritizes people over profit. She leverages her Bachelor of Science degree in policy analysis & management from Cornell University and her Master of Arts degree in teaching from Belmont University, combined with her 20-plus years of experience working with nonprofits and education spaces, to uplift opportunity and outcomes for all people---especially those historically marginalized and underrepresented. She believes in the power of community and that everyone deserves access to nourishment for the mind, body and soul.