Tacoma names a city park after ‘community icon.’ Here’s who and why it’s important
A triangular parcel of land in Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood has a new name: Dr. W. Joye Hardiman Park.
The City Council last week unanimously approved an honorary-naming resolution for 1505 S. 5th St.
Anna Le, management fellow in the City Manager’s Office, noted the historic significance during a presentation at the Aug. 13 meeting.
“It is my theory that this is the first time that the city of Tacoma proper will be naming, if they adopt this resolution, a place after a Black woman,” said Le, who stressed that while other local entities have already done so, it seems the city itself has not.
That evening, local leaders learned that Hardiman played a key role in establishing and developing the Evergreen State College’s Tacoma campus. She served as its executive director for about two decades —from 1990 to 2008, according to her bio — and advocated to keep the school in Hilltop.
Council members also heard that Evergreen-Tacoma achieved a retention rate of more than 89% during Hardiman’s tenure.
Supporters spoke in favor of the park naming during public comment.
Onya Robertson lauded Hardiman as “a revered educator, scholar, master storyteller and a cultural custodian who has dedicated her life to preserving and sharing cultural wisdom.” Hardiman helped turn Evergreen’s Tacoma campus into a “vibrant community hub,” although her legacy extends beyond the halls of academia, Robertson said.
“Naming this park after Dr. Hardiman is more than just a tribute,” Robertson said. “It is a recognition of the lasting impact she has had on our community, particularly in the very neighborhood where she worked tirelessly for so many years.”
Mayor Victoria Woodards noted during the meeting that it was a shame that Hardiman could not be there in person. (Hardiman had fallen ill in the Philippines while on an international lecture trip, folks who know her said.) Woodards called the community leader “truly deserving” of the honor.
“It also warms my heart to see yet another opportunity here in the city of Tacoma where we have recognized an African American woman for her contributions to the city,” the mayor added.
Council member Jamika Scott told meeting attendees that she grew up “not too far” from Hardiman’s home. Scott recalled spending time in the area now named for Hardiman, and she’d go there to read and journal.
Fast-forward to a couple summers ago. Scott said she was hanging out with a muralist in Hilltop when Hardiman stopped by. The educator was invited to paint something on top of a riser, and she agreed — despite being scared to do so.
Scott said she snapped a photo of the moment.
“It was a moment of a Black woman making it to the top of something, and seeing things from a different perspective, and feeling proud of that,” Scott said. “Being able to catch that moment of her joy and excitement was really just a good moment for me.”
Pam Bridges led the effort to have the city-owned property dubbed after Hardiman, whom she described as the successor to trailblazing Tacoma educator Maxine Mimms. In a letter to the City Council advocating for the naming, Bridges celebrated Hardiman as a “community icon.”
She told The News Tribune that Hardiman’s home, which sits across the street from the park, is a “treasure to the community.”
“It’s a place where we gather and really solve the community’s problems — and the problems of the world, for that matter,” Bridges said. “But we just have wonderful gatherings in her home.”
Bridges wanted the parcel of land to serve as an extension to that house. So, ahead of Hardiman’s 80th birthday in June, she got to work to make it happen. She spearheaded the submission of a place-naming application, which featured letters of support and a signature-gathering petition.
Bridges felt excited after the City Council voted in favor of the tribute.
“I was so honored to have been given the opportunity to inspire others by leaving what I believe will be an inspirational space and a legacy of Dr. Hardiman’s community work,” she told the newspaper.
Asked whether she looks forward to spending time at Dr. W. Joye Hardiman Park, Bridges replied: “I absolutely am.”
