Supporters and opponents of an effort to change the name of Columbus Park in Binghamton (NY) plan to make their opinions known at a town hall meeting next month. A committee of City Council is hosting the public discussion at the request of the Broome-Tioga NAACP.
The civil rights organization says it believes the park should have a more inclusive name that honors the neighborhood’s rich African-American history. While the area around Columbus Park was known for having many Italian-American families and businesses in the 1900’s, it was originally a Black neighborhood in the 1800’s.