Public invited to event highlighting the hidden, Black history of Justice Park
 |
| Justice Park |
The community is invited to “Discover the Hidden History of Justice Park” at a special event Sept. 18 hosted by the Fairfax County NAACP’s Environmental and Climate Justice Committee.
Edwin Henderson, founder of the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation, will talk about the Black families who once owned land on the site and were displaced by the construction of Justice Park and Justice High School.
The event is 1-4 p.m. at the park, 3312 Peace Valley Lane in Seven Corners.
There will also be representatives from other historically Black communities in Fairfax County and the county’s Office of Human Rights and Equity, local community resources, birding walks, and games.
Related story: Public officials failed to inform public on Justice Park land negotiations
New research by community resident Mark Doehnert shows 93 percent of the land where Justice Park was developed had been owned by Black families, including Golden Stallings Joyce, Roland Denny, Elizabeth Denny, Marshall and Mamie Robinson, and Thomas and Agnes Jackson. Several families went to court, unsuccessfully, to try to hold on to their property.
Justice Park has been a point of contention over the past year as local residents have been fighting the Fairfax County Public Schools’ and Park Authority’s plans to build a parking lot there to accommodate an addition for Justice High School.
FCPS has not yet publicly responded to the Park Authority’s announcement in July calling the parking lot proposal “unacceptable.” FCPS also has not yet scheduled a promised community meeting to provide an update on the parking lot issue or the school project and has not announced a revised timeline.
Related story: Del. Kory wants to improve Park Authority transparency in light of Justice Park parking lot conflict
“The NAACP event is a significant one to keep the pressure on both FCPS and the Park Authority to stay out of the park,” said Kathleen Brown, president of the Ravenwood Citizens Association and member of the Justice High School PTSA. “It’s a community green space with a history and deep meaning for us all, now and for generations to come.”
A "black history" event on a predominantly white neighborhood.
That's as hilarious as the BLM signs on yards at lake Barcroft
Anonymous @ 11:05am… you seem to be missing the point. It was black land that was taken from them – hence, black history. Yes, there are predominately white neighborhood to the south, but that park is easy walking distance from several large apartment complexes such as Munson Hill and Culmore, which are hardly "predominately white".
"Several families went to court, unsuccessfully, to try to hold on to their property."
Surely there is proof. I remember reading of one case late in the game…where one person decided they wanted more money. Who tried to hold on to their property? Census records don't show these people as farmers BTW.
Pine Ridge, TC Williams HS, Justice Park…surely a theme is becoming clearer.
Nothing was taken from black people,
it was just the county, exercising their "eminent domain" rights, right?