Tending Common Ground: “Community” as an Action Word
An Interview with Charles Lomax, Sophia Poe, and Ben Vershbow
In June 2025, Bartram’s Garden finalized a new strategic plan, Tending Common Ground, to guide the organization from 2025–2033. The new plan was developed through a year-long process led collaboratively by a Strategic Plan Committee comprised of board members, staff, and members of the Southwest Philadelphia Community Leadership Team.
Click here to read the new strategic plan.
Now that the plan is complete, three members of the Committee reflect on the process and what lies ahead for Bartram’s Garden.
This interview has been edited for clarity and condensed.
Could you each introduce yourselves and your connection to Bartram’s Garden?
Charles: My name is Charles Lomax. I am the Board President of Bartram’s Garden, and I’ve been on the board [since 2011].
How did you first get to the Garden, Charles?
Charles: A friend of mine showed it to me, and it was interesting because, you know, you’re coming down Lindbergh Boulevard and past these post-industrial sites, and then you turn on Harley Street, past the Bartram Village housing project, and go into the Garden. The first time I went, I walked into the Meadow and saw two bucks in this beautiful green area. It’s amazing. That was my first introduction.
Wow! Sophia, would you share a little about how you got here and what you’re doing?
Sophia: I’m Sophia Poe. I am the Community Partnership Manager at Bartram’s Garden. And how I got to the Garden was through ECE: early childhood education. I was taking the children from Woodland Academy over to the space, and I thought it was amazing to have this beautiful resource right in our neighborhood.
It was such a contrast between the outside world, I would call it, and being surrounded with nature. It was so serene by the water. So I immediately thought, “I would love to see more art here.” The director [of Woodland Academy] at the time was Sharon Neilson, and she was having a meeting with a group to advocate for ECE, and I thought the meeting should include art. So we got some poets to come and share their talent, and then that led to an opportunity in partnership with Mural Arts. That birthed a lot of the work that I get to be the project manager for now.
Even before that, I would just go [to the Garden] on my lunch break to just, you know, debrief and get back in touch. You could do yoga there. I would do nature walks with my son if he had a stressful day at school. So it was just really a peaceful space to kind of reconnect and it was wonderful for mental health also.
Ben, tell us about your journey to Bartram’s Garden.
Ben: These are great stories! So I’m Ben Vershbow. I’m on the Board of Directors at Bartram’s Garden. I’m a West Philly dad, and I first got to know Bartram’s soon after we moved to Philly as an amazing green space near at hand. It completely caught me by surprise: what an amazing oasis and preserved landscape, kind of bearing witness to the changing city and suddenly finding itself surrounded by such high-contrast surroundings.
Charles: Yeah!
Ben: So from the very beginning, it’s had this effect on my imagination but also was an amazing resource and a place that my family has come to love.
And then it was in talking to [interviewer Caroline Winschel] as another West Philly parent at a birthday party, that I learned that all the things that I imagined that could be relevant to Bartram’s were in fact already the program: environmental justice, a more community-engaged approach to urban development and ecology and climate awareness. And that struck up some amazing conversations, and then the rest is history.
So true! Thank you all. So we’re going to dive into deeper conversation: what does it mean for Bartram’s Garden to have a new strategic plan?
Charles: For me, the one thing that we can all be 100% certain of is that things are going to change. And that’s been the case at the Garden as far as how we’ve evolved from where we were 10 or 15 years ago to where we are now.
And how we’re sort of adjusting to the new environment––the capital projects that we have on our agenda with FloatLab, the Ecosystems Education Center and the Freshwater Hatchery, and the development we’re looking at north of the Garden for a new Welcome Center, all those things––has required us to adjust and really prepare ourselves for what the new and improved garden is going to look like. I think the strategic plan that we just completed addresses those in a really fundamental way.
Click here to learn more about the capital projects and campus plans for Bartram’s Garden.
Sophia: The only thing I would add to what Charles said is, to me, it means a new story that will be included in who we are. So we’re adding on to the current legacy in such a new way, breathing in new life that will be a part of both history and the future. The future is now!
What feels new?
Sophia: For me, I think [the new strategic plan] incorporates new voices. The community has been really open and involved in the process. So that’s embracing the neighbors that we have now and that we will have in the future, keeping everyone in mind.
Click here to read the new strategic plan.
Ben: You covered a lot of it. I can add that I was actually a little bit––well, concerned might be too strong––a little curious about: What possibly more ambition could we have? Because like I said, when I first learned that the much bigger strategic imagination that I wished for was, in fact, already the approach and the way of thinking of this place, I worried about overreach, overextension, because this is already such an impressive range of things.
But then I quickly learned that it’s really more about, as Charles and Sophia said, readying these new investments and positioning them to have the maximum impact in response to all this change, in line with all this change, to build a story that really resonates. And so once I learned that this strategic vision was much more soul, spirit, building on top of the incredible infrastructure that already is starting to come to fruition, I was like, “This is incredible. This is an amazing opportunity! How do we rise to meet a changing city in a changing neighborhood?”
Charles: Well said, Ben. That’s great.
I’ve never been involved in a strategic planning process like this. The plan really focused on the voices and intent of everybody—the community, the staff, the board—and it was synthesized into something that is so relevant. What we ended up with is a tool to fortify and support a lot of the work that’s already been done, as Ben said, and to be able to do that with the input of so many different constituencies was really a testament to the amazing work of the staff, and the board, and the community.
Sophia: It was really intentional. That’s something I appreciated.
Ben: That’s a good word! For sure.
Charles: The interesting thing that’s been happening and continues to happen is that the relationships that have evolved over the course of this process and really over my time at the Garden have just been amazing. It’s reinforced the sense of community everybody feels and that has been building for a while now. I think that’s really important.
Sophia: It’s so beautiful to watch the transformation, too, internally: seeing the relationships form and deepen between colleagues [at Bartram’s Garden], having hard conversations, and then watching the ripple effect and becoming more welcoming to everyone that visits this space.
What drew you each to participating in this process?
Charles: I drank the Kool-Aid a long time ago! But what’s happening at the Garden speaks to how I think people should work in community: the respect and caring that people have for each other. There’s an acknowledgment and appreciation and compassion and caring and love for the human element, in a time when people’s humanity has been so questioned and ostracized and just looked down upon. This is the complete opposite of that.
Click here to read the new strategic plan.
Sophia: For me, it was a no-brainer. “Community” isn’t just a word, but this is a verb, it’s an action word. So you have to be committed. You have to really walk the walk. So I was like, “Okay, strategic planning, that’s what we’re doing! And this is what we would like to see, and this is what I would like to see.”
You have to be at the table to be represented, and it’s been beautiful to see some of our community leaders grow in their leadership, not just at our table but also throughout the city. And they still advocate for Southwest and they still advocate for Bartram’s Garden and they still hold us accountable.
They have been an amazing additional resource––it’s truly a mutually beneficial connection and relationship and community. Bartram’s isn’t just a location: it’s a part of the neighborhood, and that’s been beautiful to have them be a part of the process to share what they would like to see as well.
Ben: There’s no way to top what Sophia and Charles just said. It’s beautifully articulated. From my perspective, I was really excited [because] I’ve never had an opportunity to be part of a process that really informs the future of a place/community that I belong to, that will shape the experience of my loved ones.
So imagine now that we’re seven years in the future—imagine that it’s 2033: what’s the most exciting thing about Bartram’s Garden and Southwest Philadelphia? And what are we getting prepared for or making possible now that’s making that vision seem real in your imagination?
Charles: The transformative nature of these capital projects is going to really be amazing, with the Ecosystems Education Center and the Freshwater Hatchery; the NESTT [by Woodland Academy]; the new Welcome Center. You know, you’re going to have the swing bridge done. You’re going to have more people coming through. Bartram Village is going to be developed. You’re going to have that community.
Click here to learn more about the capital projects and campus plans for Bartram’s Garden.
You know, University City is coming to the river, and I think that one of the things that’s going to be really interesting as that occurs, is how we at the Garden make sure that the community where we are is reinforced and acknowledged and supported so that when these changes do happen, we’re very much a part of those changes and at the table of how those changes are happening to this community. I think that we’re now in a position where we’re at the table for the conversations when these things are in the concept stage, not just [being told,] “Hey, this is what we’re going to do.” We’re in the front end of the process, and I think it’s going to have a tremendous impact on what this community is and how this community is.
Sophia: I’m looking forward to the investment. Southwest is an amazing community, so I’m looking forward to seeing Southwest visually reflect the pride, love, joy that the people have about the neighborhood and community.
I see Bartram’s Garden as an anchor that can ground our neighbors in rootedness, like, “Oh, I remember when we were at the table just talking about [what] we would like to see. And now we’re going to these programs on a Saturday, now we’re utilizing this community space to advocate for something that we’re passionate about.” So I’m just looking forward to the “I remember when . . .”
Charles: Yeah!
Sophia: Also I’m looking forward to the youth and the young people becoming the teachers. [They are] going through the farm program now, they’re learning about trees now. So I’m looking forward to seeing where they grow and their leadership.
Ben: I love that agricultural or botanical perspective on the young people: they’re growing and where will they be [by 2033]? When will be the first Southwest-originated leader of Bartram’s, or folks leading whole sections of this?
Sophia: Yes!
Ben: I envision by 2033––and Caroline, sorry for the shock, but our kids will be teenagers, which is unthinkable––Bartram’s will be what it always has been, but even more.
I think it’ll be more universally understood to be one of the jewels of the city. All these things are taking shape, as Charles said, like the trail network and the swing bridge are going to link up the commuter pathways of the city and stitch together the neighborhoods, and we’re going to, I think, grow right into that confluence in a way that’s unlike a lot of other development, where the memory of the place gets erased, the people get displaced. I know we don’t have full control over that––there’s a lot of forces––but my hope is that [Bartram’s Garden in 2033] is a place that feels more like the thing it’s always been than ever before and yet also very newly elevated and endowed and infused.
And reflect on the times we’re in: I think it’s incumbent on all localities, cities, communities to innovate and really be the drivers of change. There’s a lot of possibility for a city like Philadelphia to be a bright spot on that map in the future of this country, in this region. I think Bartram’s, and the confluence of actors and communities and stakeholders around Bartram’s, is a powerful force that could be a big engine of that in Philadelphia, pushing for change and ecological balance and justice at a time when those things are really under attack at the national level. I’m just incredibly proud to be a part of it, and I want to be involved in every step of the way of the journey.
Something Sophia has been really good at teaching me is that people are going to say, “Okay, sounds great, how do I help? How do I get involved?” For folks who are hearing about this for the first time, how can they be part of bringing this plan to life?
Charles: Come to the Garden! In a lot of ways, everything you’d want to see happening in a community is happening here and going out. It’s not just static and it’s not just within the Garden.
Sophia: Yes! I agree with Charles. I would just say, “Come see for yourself. Come put your feet on the land and see what inspires you.”
Charles: And that inspiration is contagious. I mean, you all know, it’s real. It is inspiration. That’s a great word.
Ben: I really aspire to have my children to be more involved in this place. They have participated in programs––we’ve come to the festivals, we’ve gone boating, we’ve done a lot of different things––but I hope that this will become a major throughline for their development and their experience. This will be one little part of how folks from different backgrounds, who have maybe grown up very differently but have ended up pretty much in the same patch of planet Earth, can start to really co-exist and share and form a more entwined experience.
And with that approach every family, every visitor can find a way to weave in more authentically––not just passing by the folks who are in close proximity but maybe worlds away in their experience––and start to have a shared experience. I think that’s the kind of fiber that we’re going to build together, that I hope we will build together.
So yeah, come check it out, be inspired. Absolutely! That’s often how it starts. And then figure out where you want to go deeper.
What else do you want to have a chance to talk about that I missed?
Sophia: I’m a little torn between the NESTT [led by Woodland Academy] and FloatLab. FloatLab is going to get us closer to the water. How’s it going to feel? What will it spark and inspire? I’m really looking forward to that.
Click here to learn more about the capital projects and campus plans for Bartram’s Garden.
Charles: Really, the exposure for children is life-changing. It’s transformational and will ripple over generations. At [the Sankofa Community Farm at Bartram’s Garden] now, with the interns, there are kids from Philly who are proudly declaring, “Yeah, I’m a farmer”—that’s really remarkable.
Ben: Something that I see in this plan that is pretty open-ended still is the historical interpretation of the place and the aspiration to bring that more into the experience of the Garden somehow. It connects to what you’re saying, Sophia, about more intersection points, maybe making more art, working with staff and with the community. How can the history of the site be interpreted through the Bartram family and legacy but also through the Black communities of Kingsessing and the centuries of Indigenous populations? How do we grapple with all of that and find some authentic, meaningful way to open that up in the Garden? I’m really excited to start digging into that.
So much of the strategic plan is about what it takes to keep this park inviting and welcoming. I think Sophia said it really beautifully, imagining people saying, “Oh, I remember when we were just talking about this and now I get to come and enjoy it on a Saturday.”
Ben, you brought us back to that: What’s the story? Who’s coming to the conversation? And how can we make sure that somebody who might not have been asked for their input earlier gets to be part of building the story for what comes? It’s nice to bring it back to where Charles started us all, in that it’s about relationships.
Ben: Yeah. And one really strong memory I had from the strategic planning process was the day we did a big planning session with board, staff, and community stakeholders. We were at the Heinz [Wildlife Refuge] and we were all in the mix together. And I remember it made a big impression on me to hear how much it was on the staff’s mind to reckon more directly, more powerfully, more accessibly with history.
Charles: Yeah!
Ben: Soon!
And that’s very much intertwined with how we think about climate resilience, right? There’s no one voice: it’s about what the land can teach us, and what people who have cared for this land for generations can teach us, about what it’s going to be like to keep each other safe and be in good relationship with the ecosystem.
So looking ahead: just for yourself, outside of the strategic plan, maybe outside of Bartram’s Garden, what are you looking forward to this fall?
Charles: I have, separate and apart from the Garden, milestones for the fall that we’ve been looking forward to for a while, so that’s really big for us—that’s really personal and professional in nature.
But I’m looking forward to the change of seasons, which I love. That’s what’s nice about this area, is you get to enjoy every season, which is beautiful.
I hope you get to ride your bike!
Charles: Me too!
Sophia: I look at fall like my new year because of the visual change. So that’s the time where I’ll start setting goals for the new year, just to get a head start.
And I know you said personally, but I also look forward to the [Twilight in the Garden gala] in the fall. I love seeing community members be invited and be incorporated and able to enjoy the fruits of their labor right in their neighborhood—it’s a reassurance that they are our partners and not just, you know, doing anything performative.
Charles: It’s always a good party.
Ben: Mine isn’t necessarily this fall, but more as we approach next year—the big 250th! I can never remember what it’s called.
The semiquincentennial!
Ben: Thank you—I was never going to remember that.
I really had to practice to learn that word.
Ben: Well, there’s all this stuff going on, and there’s a really cool exhibit coming up at the Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel marking the 250th by looking at the Lewis and Clark expedition through the lens of botany, called Botany of Nations. It’s in the works now and it’s taking an approach that is very much trying to bring together the more received, you know, western historical record of that time and all the learning about plant life with Indigenous knowledge traditions, bringing some reconciliation or integration or at least an encounter between those things. Just the very idea of it is very inspiring to me and I imagine that being a big dose of inspiration for what we might be thinking about here in the Garden. So that’s not this fall, but that’s one thing I’m looking forward to in the near future.
We’ve gone so far into the future—to 2033 and back again. Thank you all!
An edited version of this interview appeared in the October 2025 edition of the Southwest Globe Times.
