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African-American Namesake Parks (Part II)

Today we continue our look at a sampling of African-American namesake parks in honor of Black History Month

Manhattan

Courtney Callender Playground
East Harlem’s Courtney Callender Playground is named after New York City’s first African–American Deputy Commissioner of Cultural Affairs. Callender began his career in Parks & Recreation, where he established the Community Relations division, which initiated the policy of including neighborhoods in park decisions. Callender served as Community Relations Officer from 1966 to 1969 until Commissioner August Heckscher appointed him Deputy Commissioner of Cultural Affairs, three years after the Office of Cultural Affairs was transferred from the Mayor’s Office to the Parks Department.

Dorrence Brooks Square
Dorrence Brooks Square, located in Manhattan between West 136th and 137th streets and St. Nicholas and Edgecombe avenues, honors Dorrence Brooks, an African–American soldier who died in France shortly before the end of World War I. Brooks distinguished himself in battle by taking charge of the remnants of his company after the enemy severely reduced their numbers and killed the commanding officers. The New York Times reported that Dorrence Brooks Square was the first public square to be named after an African-American soldier.

Holcombe Rucker Playground
Holcombe Rucker (1926–1965) dedicated his life to his community. Although he died young, his memory endures because of the major basketball tournament he founded. Rucker grew up in Manhattan, attended Benjamin Franklin High School, and, between 1948 and 1964, worked for Parks as a playground director in numerous Harlem locales. The playground, located north of 155th Street and bounded by Frederick Douglass Boulevard and the Harlem River Drive, was named for him 1974.

Bill “Bojangles” Robinson Park
This park, located on 150th Street and Seventh Avenue, is named for an important figure in African–American culture: entertainer and philanthropist Bill “Bojangles” Robinson. For years Robinson lived opposite this park at the Dunbar Apartments, home to many prominent African–Americans, including W.E.B. DuBois and A. Phillip Randolph. In 1934, Robinson persuaded John D. Rockefeller, Jr., owner of the property, to deed the land to the City as a public park. The playground opened in November of that year and included a jungle gym, swings, seesaws, and handball courts.

Source: NYC.gov