Proud Roots Scent Garden Has Broken Ground

The Durham project celebrates Black history through a botanical garden dedicated to activist Pauli Murray.

Updated on Sept. 23, 2026 in African-American

Bold vector editorial illustration of a lush herb garden bed and trowel, capturing the spirit of a community-led botanical project. — Tiffany Griffin has launched the Proud Roots scent garden in Durham, a new community botanical space dedicated to the legacy of activist Pauli Murray. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Tiffany Griffin, owner of Bright Black, has begun construction on the Proud Roots scent garden at the Lakewood Shopping Center. The project serves to honor activist Pauli Murray and her caregivers while exploring themes of nurturance.

Why it matters

The initiative seeks to celebrate Black culture and history through the medium of scent while providing a dedicated space to reflect on the legacy of local activists. It functions as a public site for both community engagement and historical commemoration.

The City of Durham provided a $2,500 Love Your Block grant to support the site development. The garden will feature lavender, sweet grass, fig, marigolds, and wild bergamot.

The players

Tiffany Griffin

She is the owner and operator of the business Bright Black and the lead organizer of the Proud Roots project.

Pauli Murray

She was a prominent civil rights activist and lawyer whose life and legacy are honored by the new scent garden.

The details

Volunteers cleared dirt and grass from the median on Chapel Hill Road during an initial work day. The garden is located one mile from the historic Murray house and relies on support from local businesses and individual donations.

Volunteers broke ground on September 13, 2026.
Tiffany Griffin will host another work day on October 11, 2026.
The garden is expected to be complete in the spring of 2027.

Culture Shift

This project reflects a broader trend of utilizing public spaces for intentional cultural storytelling rather than purely decorative landscaping. It marks a shift toward hyper-local historical commemoration that prioritizes the lived experiences of community figures.

Residents can participate in upcoming work days to assist with clearing and planting the median. The garden provides a new dedicated green space for the community to visit once construction concludes in 2027.

The takeaway

The garden serves as a reminder that public spaces can be transformed into meaningful tributes to local history. Residents interested in urban beautification can support the effort through future volunteer events.