By Hannah E. Jones, Park Pride’s Marketing & Communications Manager
Dazzling sunshine, a vibrant sea of blooming tulips, and park experts and advocates gathering for the greener good — welcome to Park Pride’s Annual Parks & Greenspace Conference.
On Monday, March 25, over 500 people visited the Atlanta Botanical Garden for the 23rd annual conference. This year’s theme was Parks for All: Intention to Action, and speakers focused on actionable solutions to park equity issues and explored how governments, nonprofits, and community members can work together to implement creative solutions.
This was our highest attendance in the Conference’s history — with park experts, elected officials, greenspace advocates and community leaders coming together for an incredible day of insightful presentations, thoughtful discussions and making connections to further our shared goal of activating and improving our local parks.
We also had a record-high attendance from the City of Atlanta, in addition to representatives from DeKalb County, City of Brookhaven, City of Tucker and other jurisdictions throughout the Atlanta region.
The full-day Conference kicked off with keynote speaker Corey Wilson, superintendent of the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (BREC). In his role, Wilson oversees 175 parks, a zoo, five golf courses, football stadiums and a swamp.
However, just two years into the job, Wilson was faced with efforts to deeply fragment the parish-wide organization.
In 2021, State Senator Bodi White proposed a bill, now coined the “BREC breakup bill,” that would separate BREC and give two nearby cities their own independent parks systems rather than remaining under BREC’s jurisdiction. However, Wilson fought to keep BREC intact, aiming to keep the park system strong and maintain ties across local communities. To accomplish this, BREC created a robust public engagement policy and, ultimately, White opted to defer his bill.
The following year, BREC was awarded the National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration.
“I made the decision to [work in] parks and recreation because I know what it’s done for my life and I know what it’s done for similar people who look like me, and I want that for everybody,” Wilson said. “I think we just have to show people that it’s not just about playgrounds, swings and walking trails. Our parks and recreation can compete against any industry… Instead of helping one client at a time, I’m helping 450,000 people every day.”
He added: “My mission is to serve more people so they can live a full life. That starts with parks and recreation.”
Keynote speaker David A. Rubin, founding principal of DAVID RUBIN Land Collective, has a similar mission, but through the lens of landscape architecture. In this work, Rubin emphasized the importance of understanding the context, background and desires of the communities you aim to serve.
Rubin recognizes that our built spaces have the power to connect or separate us. He seeks to do the former.
“What is realized through [our work] is a humanist construct in which very different people feel comfortable to be in close proximity,” Rubin said. “If we can recognize that we are more alike than different, we will survive.”
He added, “Where justice rules, the people shall be governed by the common good. The common good is the common ground. For me, that’s landscape.”
Like Rubin, the final keynote speaker knows that there’s more to parks than what meets the eye. Priya Nanjappa, vice president of Conservation Programs at the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), believes that parks of all sizes contain stories — of people, events and culture. At NPCA, Nanjappa and the team aim to tell the full stories of the lands they protect, emphasizing that “national parks are native lands.”
“The story of the land has a lot of different layers to it. That’s important to remember — the roots of the land, the stories the land tells,” Nanjappa said. “Sometimes those stories are [ones] of loss and trauma, and it’s important to tell those stories. National parks came to be because the government forcibly removed native people from the land and that’s part of the history that we have to reckon with.”
Through efforts by NPCA and other advocates, President Biden established Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in southern Nevada last year. In addition to its stunning views and biologically diverse landscape, Avi Kwa Ame (the Mojave name for Spirit Mountain and the surrounding landscape) is sacred to twelve tribes.
This is an example of moving from intention to action.
At the core of the parks movement, though, are the efforts of local leaders who nurture the bond between parks and communities.
Through our 2024 Inspiration Awards, we honored six local park champions who go above and beyond for their local parks. These are devoted park advocates who inspire others to improve public parks and greenspaces and raise awareness about the power of parks, so all communities have places to gather, play, reflect on our history and participate in creating a shared future.
The Inspiration Award winners include:
- Brenda Busby, Frazier-Rowe Park (DeKalb County)
- Christi Jackson, Historic Washington Park (City of Atlanta)
- Gwen Stegall, Hairston Park (DeKalb)
- Jack White, John C. Howell Park (Atlanta)
- Pat Reynolds, Zonolite Park (DeKalb) and Orme Park (Atlanta)
- Dr. Yomi Noibi, ECO-Action (statewide) and Four Corners Park (Atlanta)
“Thank you to our speakers, sponsors and attendees for your participation and engagement as we explored efforts around the city and nation to ensure that everyone has easy access to a quality park,” Executive Director Michael Halicki said. “We hope to see you all at the 2025 Conference!” If you’d like to see more snapshots of the day, click here.
