Join noted Seattle actors Umeme, Josie Howell, and others as Seattle Parks and Recreation celebrates Black History Month with a series of short performances highlighting the lives of African Americans the City has honored by naming parks after them.
Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center will present eight performances in eight parks on February 13 and 27. Each event is FREE and will last approximately 30 minutes.
Performances on Saturday, Feb. 13:
2 p.m.: Dr. Blanche Lavizzo Park, 2100 S. Jackson St. Dr. Lavizzo was the first African-American woman pediatrician in the state of Washington. She was the founding medical director of the Central Area’s Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, whose motto is “Quality Care with Dignity.”
2 p.m.: William Grose Park, 1814 30th Ave. Grose was a pioneer who arrived in Seattle in 1860 after serving in the U.S. Navy. By 1960 he was Seattle’s wealthiest Black resident.
4 p.m.: Edwin T. Pratt Park, 1800 S. Main St. Edwin Pratt was a civil rights leader and Seattle Urban League Executive Director who played a pivotal role in the 1960s civil rights movement. He advocated for services to people of color and low-income people, and worked for the elimination of segregation in Seattle’s public schools. He was killed by a shotgun blast at his Shoreline home in 1969. The crime has never been solved.
4 p.m.: Alvin Larkins Park, corner of E. Pike St. and 34th Ave. E. Another U.S. Navy man, Larkins was stationed at Sand Point Naval Air Station in 1943 when he became a member of the Navy’s Jive Bombers band. He spent the rest of his career as a renowned music teacher, youth activist, and member of the Rainy City Jazz Band.
Performances on Saturday, Feb. 27:
2 p.m.: Powell Barnett Park, 352 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. Barnett was a talented musician, baseball player, and community leader who came to Seattle in 1906. He was the first president of the Leschi Improvement Council. A man of great energy, Barnett believed in improving race relations and building civic unity.
4 p.m.: Flo Ware Park, corner of S. Jackson St. and 28th Ave. S. Florasina Ware was a brilliant education activist and supporter of Head Start and Meals on Wheels. She anchored the King County Economic Opportunity Board in the 1960s and raised 20 foster children
2 p.m.: Homer Harris Park, 2401 E. Howell St. Dr. Harris was a University of Iowa football captain and graduate who wanted to play professional football, but in the 1930s black players were banned from the National Football League. He went on to become Seattle’s “go-to” dermatologist and treated generations of Seattle teens.
4 p.m.: Prentis I. Frazier Park, 401 24th Ave. E. Frazier was a former enslaved African American who came to Seattle in 1916. In the 1920s he started and published a newspaper for the black community, the Seattle Enterprise, which later became the Northwest Enterprise. He is remembered as a true philanthropist and astute business entrepreneur.
Please visit www.seattle.gov/parks for more information about Seattle Parks and Recreation.
