The new park named after Dr. Susan Smith McKinney Steward located next to the F train entrance in DUMBO is finally open. The park features brand new playground equipment for ages 2 to 12 and water sprinklers, adult fitness area, synthetic turf for community events like movie nights and concerts, projector for movie nights, seating, new trees, public bathrooms, 5 water fountains and more. All community members are invited to join the new friends group @ DrSusanPark on FB and Instagram and to create a neighborhood park for all who live in the area! Please also remember that dogs are not allowed on the synthetic turf!
Please join us THIS Friday (9/9) for a neighborhood ‘open house’ from 2 to 5pm in the park. It will be a time to meet other neighbors, learn more about the friends group and enjoy our new park together.
The park is named for pioneering physician Dr. Susan Smith McKinney Steward (1847 – 1918). She was the first African-American female physician in New York State and the third in the nation. She maintained a medical practice from 1870 to 1895, specializing in prenatal care and childhood diseases, and co-founded the Brooklyn Women’s Homeopathic Hospital and Dispensary. She also served as an official physician at the Brooklyn Home for Aged Colored People, one of the first medical institutions in Weeksville. She was a member of the Kings County Medical Society and New York State Homeopathic Medical Societies. In addition to her impact as a medical professional, McKinney Steward was a steadfast advocate for women’s rights and racial equality, helping found the Women’s Loyal Union and serving in the Equal Suffrage League of Brooklyn. In 1911, she delivered a speech titled “Colored Women in America” at the first Universal Race Congress.
