Chicago Park District celebrating key Black history makers
CHICAGO (CBS) -- From Cole Park, named after singer Nat King Cole, on the South Side to the Jesse White Community Center on the North Side, and Anna & Frederick Douglass Park on the West Side, Chicago has countless parks named after Black history makers.
Throughout February, the Chicago Park District is showcasing dozens of parks across the city named in honor of key African American figures.
Farah Tunks, a region director at the Chicago Park District, said there are eight more events this month as part of the celebration, as well as a series of videos called "Named in Their Honor," featuring influential Black leaders, on the park district's YouTube channel.
Chicago has more than 600 public parks, 46 named after notable African Americans, including Douglass Park, which was originally named after former U.S. Senator Stephen Douglas, a slave owner. In 2020, it was renamed after abolitionists Frederick Douglass and Anna Murray-Douglass.
Tunks said naming parks after Black history makers helps keep their legacy and impact alive, especially with youth.
One of those is Willye B. White Park in the Rogers Park neighborhood, which is named after Olympic track star Willye Brown White, the first woman to compete in five Olympic Games, and was later director of the Chicago Park District.
Tunks said the park features hundreds of pictures of White honoring her accomplishments, "keeping the legacy alive, and showing our future historians that you can have leaders look just like you."
