Included in his $1.4 billion "Vital Brooklyn" initiative, Governor Andrew Cuomo is bringing New York's largest state park to Brooklyn and will name it after the late pioneering politician Shirley Chisholm.
"Shirley Chisholm led the fight to improve the health and wellness of underserved communities that we carry on today with the Vital Brooklyn initiative, and we are proudly naming this park after her in admiration for the example of leadership and devotion she set for all of us," Curbed NY reports Cuomo saying in a statement.
In 1968, Chisholm became the first African American woman elected to Congress, representing New York City’s 12th district. A few years later, in 1972, she became the first woman to run for president on the Democrat ticket. As a politician who championed racial and gender equality throughout her career, Chisholm co-founded the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971 and in 1977 she became the first Black woman and second woman ever to serve on the House Rules Committee.
Photo via: Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Office
After having a plaque dedicated to her in 2016 at Brower Park in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, it seems fitting for New York officials to name a full state park in Chisholm’s honor.
Phase one of the new park is expected to be completed by next summer with 10 miles of hiking and biking trails, waterfront access, and pop-up educational events for local residents and visitors. Meetings for phase two of the park are expected to begin in the fall of 2019 and could include an amphitheater, an environmental education center and a cable ferry.