This is a weekly feature called Community Notebook, filled with snippets of information, conversations, and reporting about the communities where we work. Canopy Atlanta Fellows and other community residents may contribute to this weekly reporting. The Community Notebook is featured in our newsletter Voices — sign up to find this in your inbox every week.
Years ago, Donna Stephens drove past English Park on the way home from her niece’s first basketball game. A soccer game was in progress, with parents standing to watch their children play. The park Stephens had just left had seating for family members who attended the games; English Park—Stephens’ own neighborhood park—had none.
In that moment, Stephens vowed to make a change.
As the decades passed, Stephens became a fierce protector of parks and green spaces. She is the founder and chair of the Chattahoochee Brick Descendants Coalition to preserve the site and honor those who were victims of convict leasing, and she leads the Protector Creek Stewardship Council.
But English Park still didn’t have benches.
One day, Stephens saw a flyer in the neighborhood advertising a visioning grant from Park Pride. She instantly remembered her dream of seating in English Park. She also thought about the constant flooding. She applied and was awarded the grant in 2019. The work took years, but with the help of the City of Atlanta Parks and Recreation and Park Pride, English Park finally has new upgrades.
An official ribbon cutting took place on July 29 to celebrate the new stormwater management system, the seating, and other improvements such as a walking track. The ceremony was held under a 100-year-old oak tree that was intentionally preserved during this project, proving what can happen when a community comes together.
Next on Stephens’ to-do list is changing the name of her neighborhood park. English Park is believed to be named after James English, who was an Atlanta mayor and used convict leasing to help build his wealth.
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