The Portland Parks Foundation is excited to announce its second-ever Joey Pope Award for Parks Leadership nominees and honoree!
Guided by her belief that parks and the outdoors are for everyone and an essential part of Oregon life, Josephine “Joey” Pope has devoted over four decades of her life to activism, philanthropy, and leadership in making Portland’s parks system more accessible to all.
In the spirit of Joey’s legacy, The Portland Parks Foundation, in partnership with the Pope family, has established an endowment fund to support emerging leaders advancing accessibility and innovation in Portland’s parks system.
This award includes a $10,000 grant plus wrap-around support from PPF to advance the goals of the recipient and their organization.
Joey Pope out in the field.
This year, we received 11 nominees highlighting the work of leaders in Portland. These leaders were nominated for their work to make parks and green spaces more equitable, more inviting, and more responsive to the communities that utilize them.
We celebrate and acknowledge the work of all of our nominees:
Black Futures Farm
Brent Atchley, Push Movement
Dean Dickinson, Skaters for Portland Skateparks
Green Lents
Jayanika Lawrence, Friends of Zenger Farm
Juntu Capistrano Oberg, Northwest Trail Alliance
Maritza Oropeza Kritz
Peter Johnson, Portland Waterfront Pavilion
Prashant Kakad, Dance United
Rain Pollock, Ladies of the Rose
Urban Nature Partners, PDX
Read more about the nominees here.
PPF is excited to announce this year’s
Joey Pope Award recipient is
Black Futures Farm!
Black Futures Farm (BFF) is a food-growing, community-building farm working off of 1.15 acres of park land in the Brentwood-Darlington Neighborhood, unceded Clackamas and Multnomah First Nations Territory. Alongside their stewardship of various fruit trees, vegetables, flowers, medicinal and cooking herbs, their deeper work is creating a gathering place for the Black community to gather, connect to the land, and support one another. At Black Futures Farm, every Sunday from May to October, is Black Sunday, a day for Black-identified folks to gather, celebrate, learn, and grow together.
BFF’s paired devotion to equity and care for the land make them leaders in our community, and help us have a broader vision for how our parks, green spaces, and natural areas can be better shared and stewarded. Their programming centers Black voices, as well as women, LGBTQUIA+ folks, neurodivergent people, people with different abilities, and youth - those whose agency has historically been marginalized.
They state, “We unite as a collective to uplift our community on their journey of autonomy and being leaders within spaces they have been excluded from. We focus on equity in the communities we serve and in the way we approach our relationship with the land through decolonizing the dominant culture’s way of being and knowing.” To deepen its vision, the farm is currently innovating programming based in wellness, clean energy and culturally affirming practices. These programs center the land as the source of knowledge, healing, and hope, and challenge white-centered and conservationist ideals around the environment.
This work is vital to bringing the community together while uplifting distinct community needs, practices, and histories connected to the land. We are thrilled to celebrate the Black Futures Farm as this year’s Joey Pope Award for Parks Leadership recipient. Along with receiving a $10,000 award from the Joey Pope Fund, PPF will work with BFF over the next year to advance their work through technical assistance and partnership.
Thank you for your dedication, deep labor, and inspirational leadership, Black Futures Farm team!
Learn more about Black Futures Farm here.
Learn more about the Joey Pope Award here.