In June 2020, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent national dialogue about race and justice, NYC Parks “pledged to demonstrate how it stands in solidarity with the Black community in its fight to combat systemic racism.” Since making this pledge, the Parks agency has named twenty-eight parks spaces to honor the Black community. Many of them are named after prominent Black Americans, including civil rights leaders, artists, activists, educators, athletes, local community leaders, and more. The project aims to “encourage discourse about their contributions, and work to make the park system more diverse and reflective of the people it serves.” For this year’s Black History Month, NYC Parks put together an exhibition at the Arsenal Gallery in Central Park featuring highlights from this expansive project. Historical photos sourced from the Municipal and National Archives, the New York Public Library, the NYC Parks Photo Archive, and several other sources are on display in the gallery alongside contemporary photos. These photos are contextualized by wall plaques giving information on the park locations and the Black leaders for whom the spaces are named.
NYC Parks Renaming Project: Celebrating Black Leaders
Photo credits:
NYC Parks / Daniel Avila, 2020
Photo Credits:
Library of Congress, New York World-Telegram & Sun Collection / Ed Ford, March 12, 1964
NYC Parks / Art & Antiquities, October 1937
NYC Parks Photo Archive, June 16, 1965
NYC Parks Photo Archive, June 27, 1941
Photo Credits:
Wikimedia, 1980
NYC Parks Photo Archive, August 15, 1962
NYC Parks Photo Archive, July 1962
NYC Parks / Daniel Avila, April 27, 2021
Photo Credits:
NYC Parks Photo Archive / Daniel McPartlin, June 24, 1965
NYC Parks Photo Archive / Alajos L. Schuszler, November 18, 1935
NYC Parks Photo Archive, February 3, 1943
NYC Parks Photo Archive, March 9, 1945
NYC Parks / Public Programs, December 11, 2021
NYC Parks / Public Programs, January 14, 2021
NYC Parks / Public Programs, January 23, 2020
NYC Parks / Daniel Avila, February 21, 2008
NYC Parks / Public Programs, March 29, 2019