On August 12th, 2024, AYLUS Oakland Gardens held its 108th event at the Lewis Latimer House Museum. Similar to the previous day, we worked with Maureen Regan, Ada, and other park rangers to beautify the museum’s surroundings. Our tasks included pulling weeds, mulching, and cutting overgrown branches.
Before our event began, our members were divided into two groups: one for high schoolers and another for everyone else. Our parent advisory team provided us with bug spray and mosquito stickers, as insects were especially prominent in areas full of plants. The two teams were assigned to weed each side of the walkway leading to the museum’s entrance. To help complete this task, our members were provided with gloves, shovels of all sizes, clippers, and three-prong cultivators.
As most of our members spread themselves throughout the walkway, Maureen went over a few notes. She described everything on the road verges that would be classified as weeds and stressed the importance of avoiding the removal of desirable plants while weeding. A couple of members were tasked with holding large garbage bags so all the weeds could be collected and transported away. When we reached the end of the walkway, some of our members pulled any additional excess weeds surrounding the property.
Some of our older members accompanied Ada to cut overgrown branches from trees and bushes with clippers and carried them to the truck located at the garage beside the museum. Some particularly large branches had to be cut down using saws and required multiple people to carry them back to the garage. Additionally, since the grass at the back of the property was growing tall, a few members brought in a lawnmower to mow the yard. This proved to be a challenge, as large roots obstructed the path, and pushing past them could potentially damage the blades. However, we were able to overcome this with teamwork and persistence. While mowing, Maureen warned us not to mow the mushrooms around a tree, as they play an important role in recycling nutrients.
After weeding the walkway, the groups took turns heading to the back of the museum for our mid-event break. Once again, Maureen Regan’s team generously provided every member with delicious snacks, including water, fruits, bread, bagels with cream cheese, cakes, and chocolate chip cookies. We sincerely appreciate her generosity and kindness.
After each group finished their break, they experienced the main highlight of today’s event—a special tour inside the Lewis Latimer House Museum! Before our members entered the museum, Maureen noted a few rules everyone had to follow: put away gloves in pockets, leave tools outside, and finish all food. This was to ensure that the museum remained in pristine condition even after the tour.
Our tour guide for today was Edgie, the communications manager responsible for social media, email, and newsletters, who recently began leading tours at the Lewis Latimer House Museum. She chose to work for this museum because she loves how it not only preserves the history of an important figure but also engages any visitors that come. The museum’s displays help people express their own interests and inspire them to work with others to achieve something for the community. She even complimented our work today, noting that it exemplifies how people with unique talents can come together and collaborate with a shared dream of helping the community. Edgie also admitted she was shocked by our speed and efficiency after witnessing the significant impact we made in such a short amount of time.
The museum was once the home of Lewis H. Latimer and his family. It also served as a hub for Black artists to come together and create. Despite the house’s construction dating back to the late 1800s, the interior walls and designs are continuously remodeled to modern styles. Upon entering the museum, visitors can begin to understand the history and impact of Lewis H. Latimer, even after his death. Latimer was born to fugitive slaves who escaped from Virginia. Throughout his life, he was self-taught in many disciplines and was known as a Renaissance man due to his wide range of interests. During the museum tour, our members explored many gallery rooms showcasing Latimer’s lab, Renaissance achievements, community contributions, and inventions. These galleries feature TV projector displays, text imprinted on walls, and interactive exhibits such as a poem reader and a 3D renderer of inventions. Unfortunately, one reason this museum exists is that Latimer never received proper credit for his work, despite clear evidence displayed for the public. Nevertheless, it is important for our members to learn about Latimer’s contributions and continue his legacy of serving the community.
While one group explored the museum, the other group got straight to work on the final task: mulching the walkway. The mulch pile was located near the garage, requiring wheelbarrows to transport the mulch around the museum. Some members continuously refilled the wheelbarrows using shovels, while others spread the mulch along the weeded walkways. The mulch needed to be consistent, maintaining a four-inch height from the soil. This was crucial to prevent unwanted weeds from regrowing and to allow new plants to thrive in their place.
Eventually, our members finished the mulching and began wrapping up. All tools and wheelbarrows were placed back in the garage, and any mulch on the road was swept back into the walkways.
We would like to thank Maureen Regan, Ada, and all of the other park workers who helped us during the event, as well as Edgie for giving us a splendid tour of the museum. Thank you for allowing us to work with you, and we eagerly anticipate our next collaboration. We would also like to thank our parent advisory team and all of the members who participated in this event. Your efforts ensure that the Lewis Latimer House Museum will continue to attract visitors for years to come.
Our Volunteers:
Hong Hao Liu : 3.5 hours
Matthew Lin : 3.5 hours
Stephanie ShiRan You : 3.5 hours
Aiden Lin : 3.5 hours
Brandon Lin : 3.5 hours
Patrick Guan : 3.5 hours
Amy Liu : 3.5 hours
Darren Li : 3.5 hours
Lucas Xu : 3.5 hours
Sophia Xu : 3.5 hours
Anthony Xu : 3.5 hours
Emily Zheng : 3.5 hours
Hannah Zheng : 3.5 hours
ShiZhen Li : 3.5 hours
Chloe Chan : 3.5 hours
Fiona Liu : 3.5 hours
Michelle Song : 3.5 hours
Tiffany Pan : 3.5 hours
Leon Chen : 3.5 hours
Karis Lau : 3.5 hours
Shirley Chiu : 3.5 hours
Sophia ShiHan You : 3.5 hours
Zhengyilan Fang : 3.5 hours
Vicki Lin : 3.5 hours
Erica Li : 3.5 hours
Johny Yang : 3.5 hours
Aidan Zheng : 3.5 hours
Ziheng Jiao : 3.5 hours
Huaxin Zhu : 3.5 hours
Brayden Lau : 3.5 hours
Ryan Wu : 3.5 hours
Darren Wu : 3.5 hours
Sophia Gao : 3.5 hours
Sabrina Gao : 3.5 hours
Adley Zhu : 1.5 hours
Parent Adviser Team:
Teng Fei Liu: 4.5 hours
Hsinhui Liao: 4.5 hours
Cui Fang Li: 4.5 hours
Report Written by: Brandon Lin
Reviewed by: Jia Qi (Angela) Liu