Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Commissioners voted to approve the Hiawatha Golf Course Master Plan at their regular meeting on Sept. 7, 2022.
On the surface, the Hiawatha Golf Course Master Plan seeks to reduce flooding risks and eliminate the need for the pumping of hundreds of millions of gallons of water that contribute to the pollution of Lake Hiawatha. In addition to better protecting the environment by returning a portion of Hiawatha to its natural state as wetlands, it maintains a nine-hole golf course to preserve play and its history, while creating room for additional recreation activities.
That said, I fully acknowledge that the vote to move forward with the Hiawatha Golf Course Master Plan has real racial consequences. There is no way around that. The long and well-documented history of racism and the generational trauma it inflicts still manifests in the inequities felt today, here in Minneapolis and in our park systems nation-wide. As a Black man, I understand why there is hurt, distrust and anger around the plan approved yesterday.
This process has been gut-wrenching for communities of color, including the Black community who embraces Hiawatha Golf Course for its historical significance as the one of the first courses to admit Black golfers, as well as the 75-year history of tournaments that continue to honor this legacy. It has also been traumatic for the Indigenous community who seeks to return Hiawatha to its natural state, creating a place to honor ancestral land and gather in community among clean water and wildlife.
No matter how conflicted I am, my job as Superintendent is to execute the policies and directions passed by the Board of Park Commissioners and lead the dedicated staff who do the work. Changes will not be made overnight. In fact, the Hiawatha Golf Course will remain an 18-hole course until the funding is secured to implement the changes outlined in the plan.
As we move forward, I will direct our staff, expert engineers, scientists and dedicated community members who have been working on this plan for years to help find ways to honor the cultural legacies of the course just as we seek to create a more sustainable one.
I’m interested in ideas and solutions as we continue to our strong focus on racial equity and inclusion across our entire organization, and hope that you will continue to support us in those efforts.