COLUMBUS, Ohio (24-7 News)--A green space downtown near the Columbus College of Art and Design is now the nation's first Social Justice Park.
At a ceremony Sunday, organizers dedicated the area at the corner of East Broad Street and Cleveland Avenue which features artwork, water features, and inspirational quotes from social justice advocates from across several decades.
The close to four-million dollar park was funded by a lead gift from philanthropist Nancy Jeffrey, and is named after the Reverend Doctor Washington Gladden, a Columbus social justice advocate from the early 1900s.
According to park organizers, Gladden was "viewed as the father of the Social Gospel Movement in the early 1900’s. Gladden was a staunch advocate for social justice in terms of civil rights, workers’ rights, voting rights, religious pluralism, school integration, and the needs of the poor and oppressed."