By Kaylee Padilla
In response to the 2020 George Floyd protests in Olympia, the Olympia City Council decided to repurpose their plans for a plot of land and create it into a park, naming it the Rebecca Howard Park. To many people in Olympia, Rebecca Howard is a name unknown, but a figure that many may recognize; on the side of the wall at the Bread Peddler bakery Downtown, a large mural of Howard stands, catching the eyes of many passerbyers. Her presence within the Olympia community has been existent for years, dating back to the 1800s where along with her husband, she took over and ran The Pacific Restaurant, which later became The Pacific Restaurant and Lodging, offering a space to relax for travellers, as well as the ability to create a bond with Howard. Her generosity and skillfulness in creating these open environments seem to resonate today through the park’s guiding values; building connections to others in Olympia, a place of healing and security and to have the ability to creatively express oneself. In how these ideas could manifest, Shawna Hawke, founder of the Women of Color In Leadership Movement, Executive Director of Media Island International and Evergreen alumni, works on the planning committee for the park and explained her connection to this work, “I was really connected to her energy. She’s got this beautiful mural outside the Bread Peddler that always pulled me in. And so it was one of the reasons why I continue to do my work and decide to stay here, because of her.” In being part of the planning, there was a focus on what the park could represent for Black community members and how that could be fulfilled“We wanted a community garden, we wanted a performance/presentation space. We wanted a Black owned business there…We wanted to have events like Juneteenth and other events there and not have it be a situation where the Black community members who are planning to not have to pay to be in the park. We want to have space.” Another point that was emphasized on was the ability to have a space to creatively express oneself. “Writing, poetry, storytelling, being able to talk about the culture…we wanted to develop Black joy and Black happiness. We wanted it to not be another place of black pain and terror.” Throughout this process, setbacks have been apparent throughout, mainly surrounding finances. Financial coverage has been prevalent, with the proper paperwork not done until later on in the process. This adds a layer onto the larger problems in funding found within Olympia, as several cutbacks have happened over the years. Despite this, there was a strong belief that enough funds were set aside for this project, “You know, when we first started talking about it, they were determined to do that. We had all that past DEI and COVID money. Speaking for myself, I feel that our project should have been propelled to the front because we were led to believe that it was that important”
Despite this, Shawna and others have made many efforts in keeping their presence felt at the park. For 5 years, Juneteenth celebrations have been held there, showing the city that their presence remains persistent. “I made sure to have the Juneteenth celebrations at the park. And the intention behind that was not only to celebrate the holiday and have it be something supportive for Black community members and Black businesses and organizations, and get the word out. But also to really encourage the city and say “hey, this is our space.”
The next Juneteenth celebration will be held at
