Summer in the Parks (1968-1976); A Special Ethnohistory Study

Garland-Jackson, Felicia; Lattanzi Shutika, Debra

In July 2016, the National Park Service (NPS) National Capital Region (NCR) funded a Special Historical Study (SHS) of the NPS Summer in the Parks Program (SITP) [1968-1976], an innovative effort designed to bring District of Columbia residents into their local National Parks and other locations throughout the city for NPS-funded, free structured programming. SITP featured two distinct components: one, child enrichment such as surprise field trips, day and sleepaway camps, and various recreational activities; and two, an extensive and diverse music series targeted to all ages featuring both local and national performers. A coalition of NPS officials, local African American leaders, D.C. government officials, volunteer organizations, and public space experts collaborated on the planning and execution of SITP. The first iteration of SITP ended in late 1975 as NPS shifted institutional priorities and funding to other projects including the upcoming U.S. Bicentennial celebration. The Folklore Studies Program at George Mason University (GMU) received the SHS grant to investigate this unique program under a Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) agreement. The research objective was to locate, recruit, and interview past SITP NPS administrators, staff, as well as then-child and adult participants of the Washington D.C.-based program. The purpose of this cultural documentation project was to capture the experiences and perspectives of those involved in the SITP initiative in order to supplement and strengthen the existing institutional narrative. The research team consisted of Primary Investigator (PI), Dr. Debra Lattanzi Shutika, Dr. Felicia Garland-Jackson, the Research Project Manager, and several GMU graduate student staff members. After a series of initial meetings with NPS stakeholders, the research team began its in-depth analysis of existing Park Service SITP records and investigation into the historical context of SITP’s origination and execution. A large segment of this opening phase included conducting exhaustive historical background research of both the site Washington D.C. as well as the national social forces at work during the turbulent 1960s era. Of particular interest were perceptions of the city’s climate after the April 1968 riots, under whose shadow SITP launched just three months later. The historical background also documents the District’s often challenging relationship with its African American residents. On the one hand, the city served as a refuge for blacks fleeing slavery and later, the Jim Crow South, offering more, yet still limited, protection under the Federal Government. While on the other hand, city officials and their collaborators maintained concentrated, successful institutional efforts to segregate blacks into undesirable, chronically poor areas of the city. The SITP SHS, funded under the African American Experience, centered primarily on documenting the voices of the District’s black residents detailing their own relationship to their city, the Park Service, and the greater community at large. The study also included a review of the problematic relationship between the Park Service and African American citizens as well as an in-depth investigating of the intersection of race and recreation and natural engagement. Theoretical considerations spanned several disciplines such as Folklore Studies, Anthropology, Leisure Studies, Sociology, History, and African American Studies. This interdisciplinary approach created multiple theoretical lenses from which to view the data including Critical Race Theory, Collective Memory, and Recreation and Leisure Studies. Recruiting efforts were far-reaching including speaking events at community churches, senior events, and networking through key informants such as retired NPS Ranger, Mr. Steven Syphax. The established project scope specified approximately ten interviews for each from SITP staff, adult participants, and then-child participants...

Summer in the Parks (1968-1976); A Special Ethnohistory Study

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