The Athenaeum. (Atlanta, GA) 1898-1925, February 01, 1925, Image 16
158
THE ATHENAEUM!
WASHINGTON PARK
In order that men and women may get away from the hum-drum
of the cities and in order that children may have adequate means of
recreation and stay out of the streets, we have large plots of land
taken care of by the city, which plots are called parks. In strategic
points thruout the city there are several parks and numerous play
grounds for the white people. Seeing the dire need of a park for
colored and attempting to dodge the issue by giving us an excuse of
a park we have the city laying out a few yards of the most unsanitary
part of the city for a colored park. This so-called park is named
Washington Park, a disgrace to the name of Booker T. Washington.
There are two outstanding reasons why Washington Park is a
disgrace to the name of Booker T. Washington and the Colored People Ji
of Atlanta should see to it that it is either remeided or totally abolish
ed. In the first place it isn’t properly located and it is unsanitary in
every respect. Parks should be situated in wholesome environments
where everything is conducive to the development of the youth of
race. Washington Park is situated between two hills and at the foot
of the city’s sewer system, the most unsanitary part of the city. Dur
ing the past summer months the water in that pool, was changed only
once per week and sometimes once in two weeks- The pool provid
ing for arm space for about seventy-five was only a disease ex
change since from two to three hundred per day swam in the same
water for a week. # i
In the second place the social aspect of the park has untold in
fluence upon the youth of our race. At Washington Park there is no j
moral code. All manner of vices and immoral purposes are carried
on during the few summer months. Crapshooting and bootlegging I
take the lead and profanity is the password of almost everybody. Be- j
sides the bad effects it has upon the doers of these crimes who escape
justice because police do not protect the park, it is a fine place for
breeding of that element of our race which is undesirable. A young
lad going to this park from a well-bred family has presented to him
all the avenues of immorality and all he has to do is to choose one
and he is irretrievably lost. The youths of today, our leaders of to
morrow, already have presented to them too much of this kind of
social life in such places as Beaver Slide, Lightning, and the Red
Light Districts. It is up to us to create another sort of envirnoment
for our youths.. JH
B. J. Davis, editor of the Atlanta Independent, took the lead in I
arousing sentiment against this place of evil. The Neighborhood 1
Union, headed by our own Mrs. John Hope, is now doing its part to- ■
ward the spreading of propaganda concerning it. Therefore, it is up i
to us, men of Morehouse, to help create a new environment for our t
youths and keep up such sentiment that when Spring puts on her 1
robe of green and when both young and old seek places of recreation p
other than the fireside we will either have a decent place of recreation r
for our race or the total abolition of this so-called Washington Park.
—W. F. Crawl, ’26.