The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy celebrates diversity every month, but throughout February, the organization recognized Black History Month by celebrating and honoring the impact of African Americans in Pittsburgh’s parks. This includes highlighting the current work of our dedicated team.
As February comes to a close, check out some of the staff spotlights below to learn more about how a few team members prioritize making the parks accessible, with a renewed focus on underrepresented communities and the importance of representation amongst park staff.
“The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy’s commitment to improving and restoring Pittsburgh’s parks for all remains a top priority for the organization. Every team member is committed, in earnest, to delivering programs and projects that positively impact Black and Brown Pittsburghers and all park-goers.
As a Black, lifelong Pittsburgher that grew up next to McKinley Park, I speak from the heart when I say that we at the Parks Conservancy strive every day to make our parks accessible and welcoming places of pleasure, relaxation, learning, and comfort for everyone. Over the past several years, we’ve doubled down on our commitment to communities like Beltzhoover, the Northside, and the Hill District, to name just a few, to launch new programs and projects in parks where there have been far too few for far too long.
These essential areas of work are being bolstered by resources from Vibrant Pittsburgh and other DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) centric partnerships. Our focus on racial equality and how best to support and encourage all Pittsburghers to use our parks will remain at the forefront of our priorities. This, to me, is what I’m striving to do and what I think we’re all striving to do each day.”
-Ross Chapman, Chief of Operations and Park Equity