In March, the Friends of Rose Park formally requested that the city consider renaming the park’s tennis courts after the Peters sisters, who grew up in Georgetown playing on the courts before they went on to highly successful professional careers. Jack Evans took that recommendation and ran with it; legislation is moving forward to carry out the recommendation.
On June 3rd, the Council will hold a hearing on the bill. All are welcome to testify. GM is aware that the Friends of Rose Park will have a representative speaking in favor of the bill. There’s really not likely to be any objections to the bill, but it’s still worthwhile to voice support.
Naming the courts after these impressive women is a small but crucial step towards reconciling Georgetown’s present with its African American past. Plaques are no replacement for the community itself, a community that has been almost entirely displaced by the hyper-gentrification that has churned on-and-on in Georgetown for nearly 80 years. But with the appropriate interpretive signage, the courts will now stand as a physical reminder of a time when east Georgetown was a hub of that vibrant Black community.
The Georgetown Metropolitan 