MILWAUKEE, WI – In an initiative led by the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (MAARPR) and in collaboration with County Board Supervisor Priscila Coggs-Jones, Lindberg Park has been officially renamed to Berrien Park.

 

MAARPR and community residents were motivated to rename the park after learning about Lindberg’s sympathies for the Nazi Party and work with the America First Committee. Residents deserved the park to be renamed after someone more representative of their community. Lucille Berrien, 93, lived in the neighborhood for many years, and has been a champion for justice for most of her life in Milwaukee. She has helped organize and lead fair housing marches, welfare rights rallies, and was the first Black woman to run for mayor in the city, and fostered over 100 children!

 

In the months MAARPR spent canvassing the Lucille Berrien Park community and collecting signatures for the name-change petition, residents vocalized what they would like to see from the county. Among the most common responses were better paying union jobs and upkeep of the park to make it a safe and thriving community space.

 

Priscila Coggs-Jones, who was elected to the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors during the initial canvassing, was contacted by MAARPR and invited to help with the efforts to rename the park. Coggs-Jones gladly took up the task of canvassing, gaining feedback from residents, and introducing the formal proposal for renaming the park to the County Board. The proposal was approved unanimously in June.

 

On Saturday, October 23rd at 2:30 PM, MAARPR and Priscila Coggs-Jones will be hosting a celebration for the official unveiling of Berrien Park. All community members, activists, and leaders are welcome to attend. There will be food, music, activities, and of course time for Lucille and other leaders to speak about this victory!

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