understanding people by knowing plants

photo by Kate Russell

Clearing the Air - Fatsia Japonica / Mi’Jan Celie Tho-Biaz

Fatsia Japonica is a glossy leaved, sculptural plant that grows like a small tree in South Korea and Taiwan. This particular specimen stands out in its natural environment holding space within its interesting leaves for sunlight to pass onto the plants surrounding it. Through the process of photosynthesis Fatsias can digest cancer-causing toxins in the air such as gaseous formaldehyde and benzene. They eat volatile organic compounds and turn them into sustenance. Fatsia Japonicas have been cultivated as houseplants for hundreds of years; sought after for their dramatic leaves and hardiness. They remain beautiful while doing the most unglamorous work of cleaning the air around them, ultimately changing the health of the environment and making the air more breathable for human life.

Mi’Jan Celie Tho-Biaz is an oral historian, cultural leader and community-based scholar. I know when she enters the cafe’ because I can hear her sparkling laughter before my eyes ever reach her. Mi’Jan has made her life work collecting sovereign stories from voices underrepresented in our society. Just as the Fatsia Japonica purifies the air, Mi’Jan uses restorative storytelling to listen, digest and amplify strengths that enact change. She encourages BIPOC to speak up, to be noticed, and ask the difficult questions in our community that will eventually harvest a lasting, positive shift. This transformation is not only in the strength needed to survive, but in working to ensure the nourishment of the environment itself, so that its soil is safe and enriching.

Look for Mi’Jan’s interviews with BIPOC cultural workers to help kick off the Kennedy Center's 50th Season - Sept 7-11 2021