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Park dedicated to Black Panther Party opens in Skyway

Published 11:15 am Wednesday, April 22, 2026

By Bailey Jo Josie bailey.jo.josie@soundpublishing.com

Plants and trees will be in full bloom soon following the official opening of the new Black Panther Park. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing
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Plants and trees will be in full bloom soon following the official opening of the new Black Panther Park. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing

Plants and trees will be in full bloom soon following the official opening of the new Black Panther Park. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing
Strawberries will soon be ready to harvest at Black Panther Park in Skyway. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing
The Black Panther Party sticker on the crosswalk button near the main entrance to the park. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing
Tomas Afeworki’s mural stands near raised garden beds. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing
Flowers are already in bloom at the park. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing
Small trees, vegetables, fruits and other plants have been planted throughout the park, making it forageable once the food is ready to harvest. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing
Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing The corner of the park heralds a metal statue inspired by the original Black Panther Party logo, reaching one paw out over a community food pantry (pictured) and the other paw reaching over a lending library.
Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing Art mural by J’Von Buckley.
Photo courtesy of King County Parks Black Panther Park “stands as living tribute to resilience, learning, and collective healing in our neighborhood.”
Chloe Washington’s art mural in the Black Panther Park in Skyway. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing

At the intersection of Renton Avenue and 75th Avenue in Skyway is the official home of Black Panther Park, a small community park and foraging forest dedicated to the legacy of the Black Panther Party’s People’s Free Food Program and other community programs.

The park was constructed in partnership with Nurturing Roots, King County Parks and Stone Soup Gardens. According to Nurturing Roots founder Nyema Clark, this park is the first of its kind.

“The Black Panthers have been so pivotal in so many aspects of history, not just Seattle, but American history, like their free feeding program, their free clinic, the Odessa Brown Clinic, which is still open in Seattle,” said Clark. “When we started this project over 10 years ago, COVID slowed us down, but it is profound that this is the first one and we are so honored to do it.”

The park had its grand opening and celebration on April 19, where local community leaders like King County Councilmember Rhonda Lewis were in attendance with Aaron Dixon and Elmer Dixon, the co-founders of the Seattle chapter of the Black Panther Party.

The park is home to fruits, vegetables, pollinator plants and medicinal herbs, both in the ground and in accessible raised beds. It also includes a lighted pathway to the centered concrete patio adorned with a painted “Power Fist,” and mural installations by artists Al-baseer Holly, Ari Glass, Chloe Washington, Cristina Martinez, J’Von Buckley, Kai Greene, Shakore Nelson, Tomas Afeworki and Myron Curry.

The main entrance to the park has a special Black Panther-inspired statue that is flanked by a community pantry under the statue’s right paw and a lending library under its left paw.

“We wanted to pay homage to this group that helped the community,” said Clark. “The park has herbs, apples, blueberries, strawberries … and it is a free forage park for people to pick their own food because we are trying to build on the [Black Panther Party’s] free breakfast and free education programs.”

Clark’s Nurturing Roots, which has a farm in Burien and a headquarters in Georgetown in Seattle, is contracted with maintaining the park for five years. She said that there is already a cohort of stewards to help support the park, but she hopes the park will activate more people to pitch in and make it a community effort.

“We’re hoping that the site inspires agency in the area,” she said.

The Black Panther Park is at the intersection of Renton Avenue South and 75th Avenue South in Skyway. To learn more about the park, visit nurturingrootsfarm.org/bpp-skyway.

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