SEATTLE — The United States officially started recognizing February as Black History Month in 1976, to celebrate African-Americans' achievements and contributions to the county. KING 5 's Joyce Taylor visited four parks that honor African-American leaders in the Seattle community.
Flo Ware Park – 2800 S Jackson St.
Florasina “Flo” Ware was a champion of children, the elderly, and the poor in Seattle from the time she moved to the city in 1947 until her death in 1981. She was a prominent community activist in the Leschi area and Central District.
She was involved in spearheading Seattle’s Meals on Wheels, a food program for the elderly. She also fostered 20 children during her life.
In 1982, a park in the Central District area was named in her honor.
Jimi Hendrix Park – 2400 S Massachusetts St.
Seattle’s famous musician, Jimi Hendrix, has a park named after him in the Central District, next to the Northwest African American Museum. Hendrix was born in Seattle in 1943 and became a rock legend with his electric guitar.
Jimi Hendrix Park was funded in 2006 with public and private donations.
Pratt Park – 1800 S Main St.
Pratt Park in the Central District was named after Seattle’s civil-rights leader, Edward Thomas Pratt. Originally from Florida, Pratt made his way to the city to be the Community Relations secretary for the Seattle Urban League in 1956.
Pratt supported measures to integrate Seattle neighborhoods and public schools. He supported the League’s Triad Plan, which reorganized Seattle’s elementary schools to lessen segregation.
He became the Executive Director of the organization in 1961 and served until his death in 1969 when he was assassinated at his home in Shoreline. His death is still a mystery. The park was named in his honor in 1976.
Sam Smith Park – 1400 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S
Sam Smith was the first African-American member of Seattle City Council. He was elected in 1967.
He was originally from Louisiana but came to Seattle after being drafted to the Army during World War II. He came to Seattle in 1942 and later attended both Seattle University and the University of Washington and then worked at Boeing.
During his 24 years serving on the Seattle City Council, Smith was known for supporting civil rights and social and economic justice. He was the City Council President from 1974-1977, and 1986-1989. He criticized King County Metro’s decision to buy $480,000 worth of South African granite for a transit tunnel in 1988, during the time of apartheid.
Smith died in 1995 and Sam Smith Park, located in the Central District, was named in his honor in 1998.