Imagine Your Parks
East Baton Rouge Parish Parks and Recreation Department
As the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (BREC) developed their 10-year master plan, they chose a new way of doing things. The agency wanted the plan to reflect the priorities of the very communities they were serving, while addressing the park inequity faced by many parish residents.
So BREC took a different approach and formed a community advisory council that would represent the demographic and geographic makeup of the parish to engage with the planning process and connect with the public to solicit their input. Race, income, address, and level of education were all considered. In the end, they received 75 applications for 15 slots, ultimately creating the representative committee they hoped for.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
As BREC understood and acknowledged historic and current impacts of segregation, they took on the responsibility to address equity directly. Black residents of the parish have much less access to green spaces and recreational opportunities, both of which are associated with lower quality of life and worse health outcomes. Demonstrating accountability and taking action to repair, BREC was determined to engage with community members who lacked critical outdoor access. They also decided to put park equity at the very center of their strategy, prioritizing resources where they’re needed most to make BREC’s spaces more accessible, welcoming, and inclusive.
The advisory council was just one way that BREC advanced equity; they also assessed park policies and explored how to best preserve historic park resources, create inclusive narratives, and enhance access to parks.
At the start of what would be a year-long process, community advisory council members took a tour of East Baton Rouge to see what BREC Chief Operating Officer, Andrea Roberts, calls “the good, the bad and the ugly” of the parish park system. The tour revealed the breadth of BREC facilities (including 175 parks, including golf courses, a zoo, recreation centers, a waterpark, a theater, stadiums, ballparks, conservation areas and more), as well as disparities in investments across racial and socioeconomic lines.
Exemplifying the issues that BREC sought to address with the plan, members learned about a moment in time when the parks department opted to close pools instead of complying with a requirement to desegregate them. But the parks of East Baton Rouge were also home to pivotal moments during the civil rights movement. Many of them hold memories of passionate speeches and peaceful gatherings, where a community boldly stood for a belief in a better future.
Community advisory council members Levar Robinson (left) and Stanley Spring collaborate on a park event for BREC. Photo: Jorge Rivas
Imagine Your Parks
Once equipped with an understanding of the complex park system and history involved, the work began. Pairs of council members hosted a total of seven community engagement events over several months. Each pair was made up of two people from different backgrounds, in an effort to connect folks who might not otherwise have opportunities to come together. The events were all different, from playing in a golf tournament to building Mardi Gras floats. The events served as a way to not only bring two people together in the planning, but to also understand their community’s hopes for BREC over the next ten years. Everyone was welcome and food was typically offered. They were asked to “imagine their parks” and express their thoughts and hopes for the park system.
Bonding After Breakthrough
Council members met regularly to discuss what they’d been hearing, plan their events, and to provide feedback to the planning team on surveys being used to gather input. In order to give everyone the safety to have open conversations about race and other social and economic issues, BREC brought in a local organization, Dialogue on Race, to facilitate discussion about local historical racism at the beginning of the process. By having a third party lead discussions, BREC felt like members would also be more forthcoming.
For a while, meetings were polite, but everything still felt a little “buttoned up.” During one meeting, BREC consultants shared that results from a survey sent to residents across the parish contained a disproportionately high number of white respondents. The advisory council members were asked to discuss ways they might get a more representative sample. What transpired as a result was a breakthrough in the dynamic of the group.
After successful efforts of gaining a more balanced set of responses, the planning process moved to the next phase where a new survey was developed. When the new survey was shared with the advisory council, the room was quiet. Staff didn’t think they’d get anywhere. All of a sudden, a Black member of the council said that in order to even understand the questions in the survey, let alone answer them, one would need a college degree. More folks then jumped into the discussion, and they all agreed. In East Baton Rouge, white adults are over twice as likely as Black adults to have at least a bachelor’s degree. It made sense as to why those more likely to have a higher education were the ones answering the survey. Once the questions were simplified, the responses rolled in. But more importantly, once the ice was broken, people got to know one another and relationships began to deepen.
Over the rest of the planning process, the community advisory council members met regularly, formed friendships, built tremendous respect for one another, and had a hand in shaping East Baton Rouge Parish’s next decade. They came together over a shared love for their community and their parks and weren’t shy about the history of racism and segregation. As one council member said, “I’m very appreciative of the parks department for creating a space and an opportunity for people of different backgrounds, different upbringings to have those conversations, be open-minded, and see how we can work together.”
The council members’ dedication and commitment throughout the year paid off, and they were proud of their work. As the BREC Commission considered the plan for approval, some members of the advisory council stood before the Commission in their monthly public meeting and proudly asked that it be approved.
BREC has continued their work with the Trust for Public Land to explore opportunities to increase park access across the parish as they implement Imagine Your Parks 3.0 (IYP3) plan.
