Community members discuss potential name change of Douglass Park
Credit to Chicago Park District
On July 22, the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners voted to initiate the process of removing Stephen Douglas’ namesake from Douglass Park in order for the park to honor American abolitionist, Frederick Douglass.
This process started a 45-day public commentary period, in which members of the community can leave their thoughts about the renaming of the park.
Latham Zearfoss, cultural liaison for the Chicago Park District, has worked for the Douglass Park staff and community for three years. He spoke about the importance of the public commentary period to allow for a space to reflect a diversity of opinions, even if there is a prominent majority.
“In my experience, there have been, you know, people feeling different ways about names should be changed at all, how to honor history, that sort of thing,” said Zearfoss. “And so I just wanted to make space to acknowledge that there was a diversity of opinions around this matter even if there’s a majority opinion as well.”
The forum reflects a majority in support of the name change of Douglass Park. Many believe it is important for the Chicago Park District to reflect the community and reference the work of young activists, namely those with the Village Leadership Academy who have pioneered this campaign for Douglass Park.
“This move by a sizable portion of the Lawndale communities to support and contribute to the VLA campaign over the past 3+ years is a gesture in support of that larger project of hopefulness,” Zearfoss said in his comment on the public forum.
Jane Dailey, associate professor of American History at the University of Chicago, discussed the historical impact of oppressive monuments on the Black community.
“There’s a long history of why and how the South succeeded in kind of winning a cultural battle by putting up these monuments,” Dailey said. “And, again, people understand now that the monuments themselves were not put up after the Civil War, but were put up, most of them, in the beginning of the 20th century as part of the campaign for Jim Crow, to create a segregated world of racial inequality.”
Dailey continued to address the symbolism these monuments have held since the Jim Crow era.
“I think people are understanding that they’re not benign statues and not just honoring what they were intimidating,” said Dailey. “They were meant to be intimidating in public spaces in order to remind African Americans of their position in life.”
After the 45-day public commentary period, which ends September 7, the board will vote on finalizing the name change of the park in their September meeting.