Founded in 1972, the Magnolia Tree Earth Center of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Inc. was founded by Hattie Carthan. A resident of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Mrs. Carthan was among the nation’s first African-American community-based ecology activists. The Center's goal is to be urban America's leader in creating community awareness of ecological, horticultural and environmental concerns and to introduce children to careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) that foster urban beautification, earth stewardship, and community sustainability.