By Virginia Scholtz
Northside News
The Madison Parks Division has an ongoing project to achieve equity in all areas of operation. You might say, “Why a project like that? Our parks are equally accessible to anyone who cares to use them.” That’s where the term “equity” comes in.
According to the dictionary, equality describes things that are identical in value. A dollar is a dollar is a dollar. Equity, however, means that a thing is without bias or favoritism. If I don’t like coconut and you make me a coconut cream pie for my birthday, the pie can be as good as any other coconut cream pie but it won’t be right for me.
This overly simple explanation gets at the challenges existing in our community and its long-standing ways of doing things. The leaders who developed and took care of our parks over the past decades have done a fine job, but the perspective of those leaders has overlooked the needs and preferences of many of our neighbors.
Terrence Thompson could see that right away when he came to work in the Madison Parks in 2017. From his work site at Warner Park Community Recreation Center (WPCRC), he noticed that young people of color were interested in activities there. Many stayed outside the door because even the low fee for using the facility was too much to pay. It took the better part of a year, but Terrence got the fee removed. He developed programs for teens, and attendance blossomed.
His efforts at the local level did not go unnoticed. Thompson became part of Madison’s Racial Equity and Social Justice Initiative (RESJI) core team. The group works to advance racial equity and social justice in all areas of the parks system. The overall goal of this citywide endeavor is to “ensure that racial equity and social justice are the core principals of all decisions, policies and functions.” The team works within and across departments to implement these ideas.
Thompson leads his departmental equity team. Since the Parks Department is the fourth largest agency serving the city, this is no small task. Employees include people working in the field to maintain the cleanliness and appearance of the grounds and buildings, program facilitators for both youth and adult activities, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, administrative staff, internet technologists, planners, artists, designers and more. Their education and experience, as well as their work schedules, vary widely.
The team has created an Equity Action Plan that guides the racial equity framework of Parks. The plan includes strategies centered on four goals:
- Health and Safety: Parks will improve safety and create a sense of belonging while increasing health and wellness opportunities resulting in positive health outcomes.
- Public Participation, Strategic Plans and Budgets: Effective public participation strategy that actively engages communities of color and informs strategic planning and budget priorities.
- Employment: Employment change team looks to align workforce and hiring practices with the demographics of the Madison community and promotes an internal culture of respect, inclusion and equity across the division.
- Tools and Training: Provides technical assistance on the use and implementation of Racial Equity and Social Justice Initiative (RESJI) tools and enhances racial literacy across the division.
Some African Americans experience prejudice when they use the parks to gather and socialize. Police have been called because people “look suspicious” or “might be up to something.” Thompson reminds us, “We can’t be casting judgement” on people we don’t know. Yes, there is sometimes illegal activity in the parks. Possibly a more effective response would be to “connect those individuals to resources.”
Due to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, Thompson’s team has been offering education and conversation over the internet. “Our [racial justice and social equity] training is meant to bridge the gap [between] what is perception and what is reality.” The sessions are voluntary. They address issues that are part of the current public discourse about race relations. The team seeks to explain questions like: What is white privilege? What does institutional racism look like? What is microagression?
Recently, the issue of police use of force has been in the forefront. Thompson feels the need to offer information on what “defund the police” is all about. “There’s a ton of misinformation and it’s been politicized,” he said. “We need to understand issues from the perspective of those working on the front line and those most impacted by current systems. In other words, community members have to have their stories heard. We can make changes by recognizing marginalized groups and targeting resource allocations.”
Thompson also believes the RESJI teams have a great opportunity to respond to the anxieties of our current times. “In response to the George Floyd murder by a Minneapolis police officer, we have focused on providing staff training and development opportunities that provide a safe space to discuss social justice issues through a monthly training series called the Morning Café. The monthly trainings are designed to increase understanding of various inequities in our community by learning from the perspective of those on the front-lines of dismantling institutional racism and most impacted by systems of power.”
There are many challenges to educational outreach. Many employees are seasonal or part-time. People who tend the park grounds are seldom assembled in one place. Online learning can help some of that. Educational programs are provided for anyone wishing to attend, but they are not required. Thompson has worked on presenting training sessions and facilitating discussion groups with the aim of helping all employees in the Parks Department understand how it might feel to walk in someone else’s shoes. Attendance has been moderate for the first few sessions but is growing.
The team is interested to know what effect its programs have on the workforce. They conduct follow-up surveys asking: “Was this a safe space for courageous conversation about race and equity?” “Did this increase your understanding of the topic?” “Was the training beneficial?” “Is our team headed in the right direction with providing department-wide training opportunities for the staff?” More than 95% agree or strongly agree that the answers are “yes.” Demographic information is also collected and respondents are given an opportunity to suggest areas for further programming. There is ongoing development for strategies to engage staff working in the field and those without computers. Thompson hopes to grow the program. In the future it might be open to park enthusiasts and other city agencies.
All this activity comes on top of his job as facilities manager at WPCRC. At that site, staff provide ongoing support for the homeless shelter, while planning to return the center to its broader community purpose as soon as possible. Connecting Kids to Nature activities continue. The park is planning to have an inclusive, fully accessible playground in the future. (The timeline is uncertain because of current budget constraints.) Teen Nights are open Fridays from 3‒5 pm at the Rainbow shelter. This sustains in-person programming options for Northside teens while maintaining social distancing. In November the program will move to the Madison Mallards Duck Blind.
When Thompson was a boy in Rock Hill, South Carolina, the park in his impoverished neighborhood “wasn’t looked on in the best light.” It was run down, junky and there was some criminal activity going on. Nevertheless, “I’ve had the vision of working as a park and recreation professional since I was a kid. The pandemic has highlighted parks as an essential service for the community.” Madison parks are part of the fabric of a healthy community. Thompson’s own children love to spend time in parks, being out in nature and on the playground, just being young.
Thompson continues to work hard to achieve racial equity and social justice for every person. It is not a one-man job. The question he asks himself, his co-workers and his community is, “How do we get better at this?”