A symbol
of the Underground Railroad lives on in Brockton, Massachusetts.
A large sycamore tree, known to
Brockton residents as the Liberty Tree, once stood where the Underground
Railroad passed. The tree, cut down in 2004, was replaced by Frederick Douglass
Park and community garden in 2014.
The park runs on Frederick Douglass
Avenue from Main Street to Warren Avenue. It is the only designated area of
greenery in all of Brockton.
Jill Wiley from Messiah Baptist Church runs
programs at the park, but the church’s ties run much deeper.
Two deacons of Messiah Baptist
Church purchased the land in 2014 on which Frederick Douglass Park stands.
Deacons Robert Howard and Jimmy
Thomas, co-owners of the land where the park and community garden are, bought
the land to create an African American historic center after the Liberty Tree, which
marked a location on the Underground Railroad, was cut down.
Howard and Thomas own the property,
pay the taxes on it and help with upkeep.
Frederick Douglass is known as the
father of the civil rights movement. He was an African-American abolitionist
and social reformer.
According to the Frederick Douglass Neighborhood Association, Brockton is a city of diversity. Its cultural roots
reach different parts of the world. Brockton’s cultural roots intersect with
the life of Frederick Douglass.
Many of
the minority groups Douglass fought for live in the Brockton area.
Douglass made it his mission to help those in
need, from women and veterans to Haitians and Cape Verdeans; no issue was too
big or small for him.
Their vision was to recognize
African-American history, Wiley said. This decision was reached after the birth
of the Frederick Douglass Neighborhood Association, based out of Messiah
Baptist, in 2015.
“The Frederick Douglass Neighborhood
Association, headed by Lynn Smith, hosts events at the park and garden for
residents in the area to celebrate the community and promote unity. These
events include monthly cleanups, meetings, plant and seed swaps, and
beautification of the site with the help of outside groups,” Wiley said.
Wiley said a garden pathway was designed so
that visitors of the park can walk the trail of Douglass and learn from
interpretive panels designed by different ethnic groups in the community.
Freedom, equality, nonviolent civil disobedience and education are themes of
the panels.
“We run many programs at the Frederick
Douglass Park. The neighborhood association
collaborates with other groups in Brockton to bring more work to the park.
This adds a personal touch to what we are doing. Our goal is to inspire
visitors to educate themselves and actively engage in what is going on around
them through Frederick Douglass Park and the community garden,” Wiley said.
Fourteen and 15-year-olds decorated the fence
surrounding the park for one program. Each picket represents different aspects
of the famed abolitionist’s life and Brockton’s rich history.
Each picket of the fence was designated to a
different student. They were given supplies to decorate the picket in a way
that expressed their feelings about the famed abolitionist and Brockton’s
history.
Pickets
represented women’s suffrage, the famed Liberty tree that marked a stop on the
Underground Railroad, and even red and black for Boxer Pride, Brockton High School's mascot.
The work of the Frederick Douglass
Neighborhood Association does not stop there.
The Frederick Douglass Neighborhood Association
gained official status as a nonprofit organization this February. Wiley said it
was amazing to see the reaction of the Brockton residents.
“The people of Brockton knew they had a key
role in the decision. Their hard work and dedication to the success of the park
and garden was vital,” Wiley said.
One quote from Douglass is said to
characterize the park, garden and the neighborhood association’s work with
Messiah Baptist, Wiley said.
The quote, “If there is no struggle,
there is no progress,” is at the heart of the entire organization and its work.
The neighborhood association considers the Frederick Douglass Park and
community garden a symbol of hope for the city of Brockton.
The progress of Brockton begins with
this, Wiley said.
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