The upcoming event at Richardson-Davis Park is set to be a historical milestone for the community. Historic Athens will host a signature ceremony on Friday, as part of its Juneteenth celebrations, to honor the park’s naming after two pioneering Black officials in Athens, Alfred Richardson and Madison Davis.
Executive Director Tommy Valentine expressed the significance of the event, highlighting the lack of any local landmarks dedicated to these figures. “Those two individuals, despite their historic significance and service to Athens, have nothing named for them anywhere in the community,” Valentine stated. “There’s not a brick, there’s not a street, there’s not a driveway. And that felt like something that needed correcting, and so for the better part of two years we’ve been working to increase awareness about Alf Richardson and Madison Davis.”
The initiative required a petition with 1,000 signatures, and the ceremony will feature all living Black elected officials, such as Michael Thurmond, who have been invited to add the final signatures needed.
“We asked these honored guests to serve as our ceremonial final signatures on the petition, putting us over the thousand signatures required to name the park Richardson Davis Park. Upon completion of that process, those signatures will be formally handed over to Athens-Clarke County where they’ll begin the process of formally naming the park for Alf Richardson and Madison Davis.”
Historic Athens dedicated two years to ensure the name change’s approval. The event is scheduled to begin at 1 pm on Friday.
