Honoring
African-American
Veterans of Massachusetts.
the veterans and friends of gourdin memorial park
Veterans and Friends of Gourdin Memorial Park is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, protecting, and promoting the legacy of African American veterans of Massachusetts and beyond. The focus of our efforts is the creation and utilization of Justice Edward O. Gourdin Memorial Park in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, with its inspiring public art and informative historical displays.
To complete the planning for the Park, the Friends of the Roxbury Justice Edward O. Gourdin Memorial Park met monthly at the William E. Carter Post in Mattapan. Then, over two decades, they conducted continuous, significant outreach to all levels of government, veterans, businesses and community, including ten annual commemorative events. They became registered with the Mass. Secretary of State as a 501(C)(3) non-profit corporation, accepting donations and funding. In 2017, the Edward Ingersoll Browne Trust Fund of the City of Boston committed $300,000 towards the casting and installation of the bronze sculpture and reliefs.
The remodeled and renamed park opened to the public with a dedication ceremony on August 1, 2023.
In 1988, the City of Boston rezoned Dudley Park as an “Open Space-Urban Plaza.” An association of Roxbury veterans, the 272nd Field Artillery Battalion Association—under the leadership of one of its past Commandants, Ralph F. Browne, Jr.—initiated a request to develop this parcel in Dudley Square as a park in honor of Brigadier General Edward O. Gourdin.
To develop the parcel, it would be necessary to assemble the various distinct parcels owned by the then Boston Redevelopment Authority (now BPDA), MassDOT, and the City of Boston for future conveyance to the Parks and Recreation Commission; engage the community in a conceptual design process; and identify financial support necessary to complete the design process, construct and maintain the park in perpetuity.