The new message discusses the plaque's inaccuracies and role in ignoring and undermining the work of North American Indigenous peoples in developing maize from a wild grass known as teosinte — a plant drastically different from corn. 

Although they still acknowledge Beal’s contributions to modern corn production, the garden has opened a discussion with the community to address the claims on the plaque that has lived on MSU’s campus for over 70 years. This step is one aspect of what garden leadership said is a wider effort to decolonize the garden. 

The garden's interim director, Alan Prather, recalled the wording of the plaque being brought to his attention within the first few weeks of starting his position in 2021. It was then that the staff members began dialogue about how to address it. 

“We didn’t think that it was best for us to decide what to do about the (plaque), but rather to open that up for a community discussion,” Prather said. “So that’s what led us to develop that sign because we felt like we couldn’t just leave it unaddressed.”

With a staff of 12, Education Director Maeve Bassett said they felt more perspectives were needed to tackle the situation. 

“That's one of the absolutely fantastic things about working at a university, is being able to bring in students that have perspectives, backgrounds, ideas and not just us being the ones who make the call in the garden,” Bassett said. “A lot of it is really highlighting and bringing in the specialties of our students, but also working with other community members and organizations."

Among the perspectives brought into the conversation were local Anishinaabe groups and the Nokomis Cultural Heritage Center, Bassett said, in addition to "pretty much anybody that we can interact with and get their perspective.”

One person consulted was Mikayla Thompson, an MSU graduate and descendant of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. 

In 2023, Thompson won the “Nurture Your Roots” poetry contest and was formally introduced to the Beal staff. It was then that Prather showed her the plaque, seeking advice on how to address it. 

Thompson recognized the importance of the situation, especially because as an academic institution, she said "there's a duty for MSU to portray the correct history and the correct facts." 

"When it comes to Indigenous history, we're often pushed under the rug," Thompson said. "As somebody who has learned the absolutely devastating history about the Anishinaabe in this region, MSU, being a land grant university, benefited directly from this history. I think they have this responsibility to tell people about it and try to right those wrongs in any way they can. And I think it starts with telling the real story.”

Bassett said the staff has taken a slow approach in planning what to do with the plaque. 

“We want to make sure that there is a diverse group of people who feel like they have ownership and have a say in the garden,” Bassett said. “How do you change something that's been there for essentially 70 years? Is that historic at that point? How do you just get rid of it and ignore it ever existed there? Do you change it? Convert it into something else?”

The plaque is only one of many challenges that the staff aims to tackle. Whether that’s making sure history isn’t going untold or addressing environmental resilience, Bassett said they plan to take on those challenges internally and externally. 

“We’re really trying to focus on what stories haven’t been told and highlighting those more,” Bassett said. “So, trying to balance and diversify the stories that we’re telling, and part of that is in the Indigenous stories ... bringing them in as much as possible is so important.”

Earlier this year, Thompson led one of those efforts as the head gardener for the Beal's Four Sisters Garden.

Thompson said that Indigenous agricultural traditions include planting what is commonly referred to as a three sisters garden. These gardens revolve around three crops: corn, beans and squash. However, like in the Beal Garden, a fourth sister can be added such as sunflowers or amaranth. This companion method allows for optimal growth as each crop works to help each other survive and thrive.

“I think having a three or four sisters garden at Beal is one of the ways that we can make Indigenous culture present on campus,” Thompson said. “I took teachings from both the Anishinaabe culture and then my culture as well. I also had a lot of help from community members like Anishinaabe community members that go to the Nokomis center, so that was really nice.”

Such incorporations are part of Prather's goal to decolonize botanical spaces, particularly regarding their designs. He noted how the current layout of Beal Garden, designed in the 50s, took inspiration from 18th century European royal gardens. These layouts contain structured square beds that offer limited space for each plant. 

“It’s kind of a colonial approach to thinking about plants, and that's one reason why we like to rewind, break down the rigid structure and let it be more natural,” Prather said. “Let the plants be the plants, and not try to conquer them. Let them do their own thing.”  

While these efforts are underway, Prather said the garden is still balancing how to commemorate Beal's impact on campus while recognizing that there was a "history to this space before campus was ever here."

And that requires acknowledging the "thousands of years of human interaction and hands that have been on these plants to get them to where we know them today," Bassett said. 

“A lot of my work is expanding our understanding of our relationship with plants throughout history, and that includes a lot of the Indigenous knowledge that went behind developing a lot of our plants,” Bassett said. “... It's impossible to talk about the stories of these plants without talking about the Indigenous peoples who developed them.”