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Among Rock Creek Park鈥檚 natural beauty is an ugly past rooted in racial segregation and native displacement. The Rock Creek Conservancy is working to shine a light on that past.听

The conservancy hosts a program series, 鈥淩ace, History, and Rock Creek,鈥� to create transparency about the park鈥檚 history. The program aims to be a starting point to better understand how the park鈥檚 past affected equity and access, according to the organization鈥檚 .听听

Jeanne Braha, the executive director at Rock Creek Conservancy, said the series has received a great response from the community as it creates awareness among members.听

鈥淸The series] has allowed people to think about how they want to make the park better for the community,鈥� Braha said. 鈥淧eople also appreciated sort of putting the park in context, as it doesn鈥檛 only exist in a vacuum.鈥澛�

On Nov. 16, the conservancy hosted a panel discussion with author Rolf Diamant and Rock Creek Park Acting Superintendent Brian Joyner to discuss insights into the history and origins of the National Park Service and Rock Creek Park. The panelists provided an information session to the attendees and opened the floor to questions right after.听

Other panels included discussions on topics such as segregation in the park, the history of jazz at Carter Barron Amphitheater, and LGBTQ+ Pride celebrations in the park.

Braha said the series started as a way to keep people connected to the conservancy鈥檚 mission and work to preserve the area鈥檚 cultural resources during the COVID-19 pandemic.听

鈥淢ost people, when they think about Rock Creek, they think about the forest, hiking, and natural resources,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e want to teach people about the cultural resources and change the dynamic.鈥澛�

Eve Cruz, a resident who frequently exercises at Rock Creek Park, said she didn鈥檛 know about the program series but believes it is a good first step in educating people.听

鈥淚 think it shines a light on the history Americans need to learn more about,鈥� Cruz said. 鈥淎s an Indigenous woman myself, I am happy these conversations are happening, but there is still a lot of work to do.鈥澛�

Rock Creek was established by Congress in 1890, according to the . It is NPS鈥檚 oldest urban park.听

Karl Jacoby, a professor of history and ethnic studies at Columbia University, said the popular conception is that national parks are pristine, untouched nature, but, historically, national parks are 鈥渃reated wilderness.鈥澛�

鈥淲hat I mean by parks creating wilderness is that, to create these 鈥榰npeople landscapes,鈥� you have to remove people,鈥� Jacoby said. 鈥淎lmost in every case of all national parks, all the people removed were Indigenous, Native communities.鈥澛�

For millennia, American Indians quarried Rock Creek until European Americans claimed title to the land in the late 1600s, according to the National Park Service . After 40 years of contact with the Europeans, the Native population in Rock Creek became scarce.

In the 20th century, the District segregated Black people in its recreation facilities. This included Rock Creek Park, as it was one of the first federally managed areas, according to a by 听听

Jacoby said people need to recognize this history to understand why certain communities don鈥檛 feel welcome at national parks.听

鈥淚 think the reason that it鈥檚 jarring for people to learn this history is because we think about national parks as kind of the highest aspiration,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think we think of our history as being a very 鈥榮anitized鈥� history.鈥�

Lorenzo Eugenio, an Indigenous college student from the area, said he has never stepped foot in Rock Creek Park, as he doesn鈥檛 feel welcomed in the space, but appreciates the efforts the conservancy is making.听

鈥淚 think you got to recognize the history and I appreciate what they鈥檙e doing,鈥� Eugenio said. 鈥淢y people were pushed out of it for the longest time. I鈥檓 glad they鈥檙e shining a light on it among other things.鈥澨�听

Maurice Federico, a resident who enjoys meditating at Rock Creek, said that, as a person of color, he is aware of the history, but he has also 鈥渕ade peace with the land.鈥澛�

鈥淚 found peace here once I recognized the facts and how it connected to my story,鈥� he said. 鈥� I hope people can find the same comfort. I hope they can reclaim what鈥檚 theirs.鈥澛�

Braha said the goal is to use Rock Creek to bring people together, as the area is a shared value in the community.听

鈥淗istorically, Rock Creek has been used to divide communities,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e want to make sure people know the past so that we don鈥檛 repeat it.鈥澛�

The conservancy hosts the program series virtually via Zoom every few months. You can register for the panels on the organization鈥檚 .听