The Black Cherry Tree Project (BCTP) is a Birmingham-based arts and social justice initiative dedicated to honoring Jefferson County’s 33 documented lynching victims through living memorials, commemorative art, and community dialogue.

Founded in 2020 by two artists in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, BCTP began with a simple but profound question: How can art help us learn from our past and build a more just future? That question has since grown into a community-driven project that brings people together across race, age, and background to confront history and cultivate healing.

What We Do
Living Memorials: We have planted 33 native Black Cherry trees across Birmingham’s public parks, each dedicated to a lynching victim from Jefferson County.
Commemorative Markers: Every tree is paired with an artist-designed marker featuring a QR code linking to the victim’s story and related artworks.
The BCTP Collection: A growing archive of commemorative works by local artists—ranging from painting and photography to film, sound, and performance—that reflect on the lives of the victims and the ongoing legacy of racial violence.
Community Programs: Through ceremonies, exhibitions, workshops, and dialogues, we create spaces for education, remembrance, and collective healing.
Youth & Artist Engagement: BCTP offers training, mentorship, and platforms for artists and young people to explore the intersections of history, racial justice, and creative expression.

Our Vision
Rooted in Birmingham, BCTP envisions expanding its model into a national network of “branches”—communities across the U.S. honoring their own histories of racial terror through native tree plantings, commemorative art, and public dialogue. Birmingham serves as the “root” of this growing movement.

Our Values
Art as Healing: We believe in art’s power to spark dialogue, inspire understanding, and confront systems of oppression.
Community-Centered Engagement: Our work is guided by conversations with local residents, faith leaders, educators, and descendants.
Sustainability and Legacy: Our trees, markers, and artworks are designed to endure, ensuring that the memory of these lives continues to grow for generations.

Our Structure
BCTP is a fiscally sponsored project of the National Performance Network (NPN), which provides nonprofit oversight and ensures donations are tax-deductible. We are actively building the foundation to transition into an independent 501(c)(3) organization.