SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — In a community park in the Black Arts and Culture District in southeastern San Diego, the story of the woman it's named after has been largely forgotten, and our recent report has inspired a local group to honor her beyond Black History Month.
The park, previously known as Encanto Community Park, was renamed in honor of Marie Widman, a Black civic leader who advocated for equal access to education, arts, culture and parks in the area. However, many people are unaware of Widman's legacy, which has faded over the years.
"There are pieces of history, San Diego's African American history, all over the place. Buildings, scholarships, and awards and things like that," Wendy McKinney from the San Diego History Center says. "And their name is all over it but we don't see it together, it's not cohesive, it's not collected."
Sheryl Mallory-Johnson, the founder of the 1619 National Celebration of Black Women, a movement that started in San Diego in 2019, said Widman's story resonated with her team after watching our report. As a result, they decided to honor Widman during their march that will mark the start of Women's History Month this Saturday.
"We thought it was appropriate because we are about honoring and celebrating the extraordinary contributions Black women have made in building America to march in her honor, so we're very excited to, you know, to share all how significant she has been to that community," Mallory-Johnson said.
The march will start at the trolley stop on 62nd and Imperial, along the Black Arts and Culture Corridor, and end at the Marie Widman Memorial Park.
