For decades, Poplar Point has been fenced off and left contaminated, closing off one of Ward 8’s most important natural spaces. Now, with plans underway for a new 70-acre public park, the community has a chance to restore wetlands, expand green space and reconnect to the Anacostia River. Therme DC, a proposed health and wellness destination, will help unlock this park while creating local jobs and supporting environmental restoration.

“A decade in the works, the 11th Street Bridge Park in Washington, D.C., has yet to be built. But it could be a model for how to create public space while lessening the effects of gentrification,” notes the New York Times.

Absalom Jordan has been fighting for Oxon Run Park for more than 20 years. He grew up near an urban farm by Catholic University and later chose to raise his children in a home in Southeast, in part to be close to Oxon Run.

Tweet: Honored to share the stage tonight with my dear friend Brenda Richardson at the @CaseyTrees Canopy Awards!