Corica Park marked Juneteeth this year by hosting and sponsoring Black Achievers Alliance’s Juneteenth Freedom Day celebration.

It was a day of reflection, appreciation and celebration, bringing together the community to honor the progress made and set powerful intentions for the future. Food, drinks and music were flowing and local Black business owners were invited to exhibit their merchandise. The highlight of the event was a traditional African Drum Circle.

The majority of attendees had never visited Corica Park and many did not know it was open to the public. We have discovered in our community engagement efforts that it’s a commonly held misconception that all golf courses are private and only accessible to paying members.

Celebrations like these bring vibrancy to Corica Park, as people come together to honor and celebration different cultures. They also raise awareness about Corica Park’s status as a municipal facility which is here to be enjoyed by the entire community.

“We have to talk about access when we talk about the history of leisure, because there was no access to it, so how do you expect me [to] appreciate these things if my parents couldn’t appreciate it?”

—African-American Neighboring Resident of Cedar Hill Park, Houston (former slave plantation), 2018