Last updated: October 3, 2024
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The African American Cultural Garden (Cleveland, Ohio)
African American Civil Rights Network
The African American Cultural Garden, located in Cleveland, Ohio, celebrates the heritage and achievement of African Americans. The four-acre site is situated within the Cultural Gardens of Rockefeller Park. It features greenspace and a monument—which represents the involuntary removal and enslavement of people from Africa—with plans for additional elements.
Cleveland’s Cultural Gardens were created in the mid-1920s to dispel myths, fears, and stereotypes about immigrants common at the time. Following the Gardens’ opening, several European ethnic groups in Cleveland established plots in the park to celebrate their cultural heritage. However, as white Cleveland residents moved to the suburbs and the city’s African American population grew, African Americans remained without representation in the Gardens. In 1961, an African American city councilman in Cleveland first proposed the idea for an African American cultural garden. However, a court case, competing visions for African American representation in the park, and various discussions and negotiations delayed dedication. Following a 16-year struggle, the African American Cultural Garden was dedicated in 1977.
The African American Cultural Garden became a part of the African American Civil Rights Network in 2024.
The African American Civil Rights Network recognizes the African American Civil Rights Movement in the United States and the sacrifices made by those who fought against discrimination and segregation. Created by the African American Civil Rights Act of 2017, and coordinated by the National Park Service, the Network tells the stories of the people, places, and events of the U.S. African American Civil Rights Movement through a collection of public and private resources to include properties, facilities, and programs.
The African American Cultural Garden, located in Cleveland, Ohio, celebrates the heritage and achievement of African Americans. The four-acre site is situated within the Cultural Gardens of Rockefeller Park. It features greenspace and a monument—which represents the involuntary removal and enslavement of people from Africa—with plans for additional elements.
Cleveland’s Cultural Gardens were created in the mid-1920s to dispel myths, fears, and stereotypes about immigrants common at the time. Following the Gardens’ opening, several European ethnic groups in Cleveland established plots in the park to celebrate their cultural heritage. However, as white Cleveland residents moved to the suburbs and the city’s African American population grew, African Americans remained without representation in the Gardens. In 1961, an African American city councilman in Cleveland first proposed the idea for an African American cultural garden. However, a court case, competing visions for African American representation in the park, and various discussions and negotiations delayed dedication. Following a 16-year struggle, the African American Cultural Garden was dedicated in 1977.
The African American Cultural Garden became a part of the African American Civil Rights Network in 2024.
The African American Civil Rights Network recognizes the African American Civil Rights Movement in the United States and the sacrifices made by those who fought against discrimination and segregation. Created by the African American Civil Rights Act of 2017, and coordinated by the National Park Service, the Network tells the stories of the people, places, and events of the U.S. African American Civil Rights Movement through a collection of public and private resources to include properties, facilities, and programs.