A self-emancipated woman

2__Alethia Tanner Park

A self-emancipated woman

“There is a belief that you die twice: once when your body physically dies, and a second time when people stop saying your name.” These were the words first said by Susan Cook when she presented her testimony in front of the DC City Council. As a direct descendant of Alethia Browning Tanner, Cook went on to acknowledge Tanner’s courageous life as an enslaved woman who bought her own freedom, in hopes that DC’s next park would be named in honor of her ancestor.

The council approved, and so did the community. Residents of the Eckington neighborhood were offered four name options for the park. Nearly 2,000 votes were cast online and by mail, and the results proved overwhelming support for Tanner Park, receiving more than 65% of the votes. This new public space now serves the community and stands as a memorial to a local hidden figure known as “Lethe.”

Tanner was born on a plantation in Prince George’s County, Maryland in the late 1780s. Historical records indicate that she crossed paths with Thomas Jefferson at various times, but her story, nevertheless, is anchored in her freedom. Despite not knowing how to read or write, she had become a successful entrepreneur by growing fruits and vegetables and selling them at the market in President’s Park (currently Lafayette Square). She earned $1400 and paid to emancipate herself in 1810.

She built a life in the District that supported the prosperity of her community. Tanner purchased the freedom of 19 family members, funded a school for free Black students, and co-founded the oldest Black church in the District’s original 100 square miles. She would also earn a reputation as “the mother of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.”

Susan Cook told the City Council that day, “Alethia Tanner is much more than a history lesson. My hope is this park will spark an interest in her life by those who walk, run, and play there.”

12

Address 227 Harry Thomas Way NE, Washington, DC 20002, www.nomaparks.org/ nomagreen | Getting there Metro to NoMa-Gallaudet (Red Line); bus P6 to 3rd Street & Randolph Place NE | Hours Daily 7am–9pm | Tip Tanner’s descendant Peter D. Cook designed the Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Neighborhood Library (1630 7th Street NW, www.dclibrary.org).