As a garden focused on conserving the biodiversity of southeastern native plants, we recognize that just as biodiversity is critical to a healthy ecosystem, diversity in people and perspectives makes our organization and community stronger.
NCBG is committed to creating an environment in our gardens and natural areas where everyone’s voice is heard and everyone feels safe and welcome.
Indigenous Land Acknowledgement Statement
The lands we steward are the ancestral homeland of several Siouan-speaking tribes and a part of the recognized home of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation. We celebrate the many Native people, who, to this day, meet, gather, walk, hike, and engage with the habitats and gardens on this land, and we honor their Native ancestors and Elders, past, present, and future.
We are grateful for the engagement of Indigenous people with the Garden across its history and strive to be of continued value to all Native communities in North Carolina. We invite you to join us in learning the history about the land we each steward and supporting Native artists and entrepreneurs and organizations advocating for American Indian communities, such as the UNC American Indian Center.
2020 Strategic Plan
In April 2019, the Access, Belonging, & Community Committee (then the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee) was formed at the North Carolina Botanical Garden with the goal of improving the diversity of staff, volunteers, board members, and event attendees. The committee spent several months gathering resources, reviewing assessments made of diversity at NCBG, conducting an all-staff Intercultural Development Inventory, and consulting with professional staff at North Carolina State University to develop this strategic plan. At the one-year mark, the committee created a three-year strategic plan to advance and enhance the mission of the North Carolina Botanical Garden as a leader in native plant conservation and education in the southeastern United States.