В Спрингфилде открыли мемориальный парк в честь борца за гражданские права Дороти Бейкон

The Conscious Connect CDC will dedicate its fourth memorial park this weekend on the southside of Springfield. The Dorothy Bacon Memorial Park dedication will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday, July 11, at 349 W. Grand Ave. Bacon was born Feb. 16, 1912, on a farm outside of Springfield before she and her family later moved to 930 W. Grand Ave. after a brief stint in Columbus, according to Karlos L. Marshall, co-founder and co-executive director of The Conscious Connect CDC. She was actively involved in the emerging Civil Rights Movement, was instrumental in helping Perrin Woods Elementary become the first desegregated school in the district, and fought the segregation and injustices she saw in the community by serving as secretary of the local NAACP chapter and the Democratic leader in the precinct. “We hope that the park can shine as a beacon of hope while honoring one of Springfield’s greatest foremothers who lived on this street and embodied everything our organization continues to advocate for today,” Marshall said. “In the heart of the city’s most historically neglected area, this park has served as a neighborhood anchor for residents to play basketball, receive free books, rest in the shade, and to build multigenerational relationships with one another.” A defining moment of Bacon’s advocacy happened in the spring of 1963 when she met with fellow civil rights leader Medgar Evers at her kitchen table, just before his June assassination, Marshall said. During that time, they strategized ways to expand access to lunch counters downtown and dismantle segregated seating in local movie theaters. “On behalf of the entire Bacon family, we are truly grateful to be a part of dedicating this memorial park to the legacy of Dorothy Evans Bacon,” said James Bacon, Bacon’s son. “Our mother was a dedicated and passionate advocate for equal rights for people of color and the less fortunate across the city of Springfield.” Since the Conscious Connect CDC acquired the property in 2019 from the Clark County Land Bank, they have incrementally enhanced the park over the years and held community events to build neighborhood pride, Marshall said. But with recent support from the city of Springfield, the nonprofit was able to finish the project by adding additional seating, fence the property line to restrict illegal dumping, address hazardous trees and brush, and add signage, including a local historical marker with a picture and biography that commemorates Bacon’s legacy. “We’re committed to building strong neighborhoods by investing in projects that improve quality of life and create opportunities for residents to connect,” said Community Development Director Logan Cobbs. She said through the Community Development Block Grant program, they were “able to put that commitment into action by supporting projects like the improvements at the newly named Dorothy Bacon Memorial Park.” Other partners and funders include the KeyBank Foundation, Returning the Favor, Springfield Foundation and Wilson Sheehan Foundation. The event, which is free and open to the public, will include vendors, a Springfield Fire Division fire truck and the Clark County Public Library book mobile. Street parking will be available. The other Conscious Connect memorial parks honor Tink Mitchell at Tink Memorial Park, 1403 Linden Ave. in Springfield; Martha Moore Carrick at Carrick’s Corner, 300 Delaware Ave. in Dayton; and Mary Ann Riley at Sully Jaymes Memorial Park, 1615 Woodward Ave. in Springfield.