Nella “Ms Pearl” Frierson has been described as indomitable, a visionary, a community leader, and a Nashville icon with a purple aura to match. With her signature grin, Ms. Pearl would tell you she is a butterfly and a dancer. Having lived her entire life in North Nashville, she has witnessed her neighborhood’s evolution, contrasting the wonders of a tight-knit community with its trials and turns of violence. By trade, she is a reflexologist, life coach, and an urban farmer who founded Brooklyn Heights Community Garden. Creating the garden was Ms. Pearl’s response to a neighborhood tragedy, honoring the life of a young man who sought a safe space in the last years of his life. While her mother’s garden was renowned throughout North Nashville during its time, Ms. Pearl’s garden is a flash point for cultivating a healthy community through growing food, intergenerational play, and creative learning. Brooklyn Heights Garden calls all Nashvillians to simple actions to manifest a more resilient, just community: Honor the Land. Nurture People. Inspire Love.