Alderbrook Park may soon be renamed “Conna Park” after the formerly enslaved homesteader who owned the 157 acres in the area of Federal Way currently bordered by 21st Avenue SW, SW 320th Street, 1st Avenue SW and SW Campus Drive.

John Conna was born into slavery in Texas in 1836. After fighting in the Civil War, he moved to Connecticut, Kansas and then Washington state, according to an article on his life.

Conna’s living great-granddaughter Maisha Barnett attended the Juneteenth flag raising in Federal Way this year and is working with the City of Federal Way on how best to honor his legacy.

Mayor Jim Ferrell said in an email to the Mirror: “I look forward to celebrating the legacy of Federal Way pioneers John and Mary Conna by renaming Alderbrook Park, land they once owned, in their honor. The outreach that we’re doing is important to ensure the community plays a part in this important recognition.”

The official proposal to rename the park after John Conna was presented to the parks commission on Sept. 5 and the Diversity Commission on Sept. 15, although the mayor also announced the intention to rename the park at Juneteenth this year. Both commissions recommended approval, according to Federal Way City Administrator Brian Davis.

The proposal could reach a final decision as soon as Oct. 15, when the Federal Way City Council will discuss the matter at its meeting. It will also be discussed during the Parks, Recreation, Human Services & Public Safety Committee (PRHSPS) meeting Oct. 8. Both have opportunity for public comment.

Notice was also sent to property owners in the neighborhood near the park in anticipation of these upcoming meetings, according to Davis.

The park would be the second place in Federal Way dedicated to the legacy of the Conna family after a bus stop mural celebrating their lives and accomplishments was dedicated in Oct. 2023. The desire to honor the Conna family’s legacy was also present through the capital budgeting process in East Federal Way (unincorporated King County) where one of the top proposals was creating some way to honor them.

All of the descendants of John and Mary Conna who were present gathered for a group photo after the festivities of the bus stop mural dedication in Oct. 2023. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang / The Mirror

History revealed

John Conna acquired the land in Federal Way through the Homestead Act of 1862. That small slice of land also contains a hidden history of racism through housing discrimination, according to records.

Within the area of the Conna’s homestead, a subdivision platted by Alderbrook Development Co. in the 1940s included discriminatory language in the CC&R (Conditions, Covenants and Restrictions), which is a separate document filed by a developer covering the subdivision. 108 homes included language stating: “No person of any race other than the White or Caucasian race shall use or occupy any building or any lot, except that this covenant shall not prevent occupancy by domestic servants of a different race domiciled with an owner or tenant,” according to the Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project.

The Racial Restrictive Covenants Project of Washington State has found at least 40,000 properties that carried racial and sometimes religious restrictions, according to their website. The project is ongoing, and volunteers are continuing to sort through documents to add to the publicly accessible map. Properties could be restricted by either a deed, a plat document, a CC&R like the Alderbrook development, a petition filed by a group of owners, or the “Sanborn Rule.”

Other properties in Federal Way also contained racial restrictions, including Barkers Steel Lake Waterfront Lots (178 properties), Healy Palisades (1 property), L’Origan Manor (47 properties), Midway Suburban Tracts (37 properties).

Housing discrimination was made illegal in 1968 through the Fair Housing Act and other civil rights laws, so these discriminatory statements no longer stand, but still have an impact today.

This history of discrimination in the area within Conna’s former homestead highlights statements made in a newsletter by the Federal Way Black Collective about the renaming that “understanding and honoring John Conna’s impact helps us appreciate the ongoing struggle for justice and equality, and underscores the importance of continuing his work to create a more inclusive and equitable society for all.”

Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell stands with great-great-granddaughter Maisha Barnett of the Connas and great-great-granddaughter Ghanya C. Thomas at the bus stop mural dedication in 2023. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang / the Mirror

The Black experience

Federal Way resident Harold Booker was a witness to the racism that still existed in Federal Way in the 1960s. His story is documented in “the Struggle against Racism in Federal Way, 1962-1970” by Chris Green, prepared for the Historical Society of Federal Way on July 22, 2013.

When it comes to housing, that report states that “Federal Way real estate agents in the early 1960s had a general policy of not selling houses to African Americans. Booker’s fellow civil rights activist and Federal Way resident, John Metcalf, remembered that this policy was usually not overtly expressed. Black persons inquiring about homes were usually met with such tactics as being told that the house was already sold (even though it was still for sale).”

While “Metcalf suggested that there were some Federal Way real estate agents willing to sell to black people,” often agents “did not wish to stir up fear among Federal Way whites that an increased black presence in their neighborhoods would cause lower property values.”

While racist incidents strongly impacted Booker’s life, he told the author in a telephone interview that “I’ll always have a place in my heart for Federal Way. We made so many friends there,” and that he believes that the civil rights situation in Federal Way “wasn’t that bad in the first place” before he moved his family there in 1962. It was merely that some race-based problems “needed to be fixed” and white people needed to be made conscious of those problems. In the end, Booker says, many of Federal Way’s white population proved willing to see those problems fixed.

In an article on the Black experience in Federal Way in 1993, progress seemed to have been made, but exclusion was still felt. Those experiences were still felt in 1993, in a Seattle Times article that documented the feeling at the time.

The article described that “in many ways, African Americans in Federal Way say they still are treated like outsiders. Being African American in Federal Way means having a hard time finding cosmetics because supermarket shelves are lined with lotions and shampoos for white people. If you have kids, as Regena Tibbs or the Rev. Michael Hale do, it means thinking opportunities for your children are sometimes limited by the color of their skin. For instance, it means watching schools put on plays that have no leading roles for African Americans. Being an African American in Federal Way, even in 1993, also means going to City Council meetings and usually being the only African American in the room.”

A lot has changed since 1993 in Federal Way and beyond, but honoring history and advocating for equity is still important, as the Federal Way Black Collective shared in their recent newsletter.

They said that “John Conna’s legacy is particularly meaningful to Federal Way because of his pivotal role in shaping the community’s commitment to social justice and inclusion. His leadership and activism laid a strong foundation for continued efforts to support and uplift marginalized communities. Conna’s contributions are not only a part of Federal Way’s history, but also continue to inspire and inform the mission of organizations like the Federal Way Black Collective (FWBC), which builds on the progress made by pioneers like Conna to promote equity and empowerment in the region.”

This map depicts where the Conna family homestead was located and what property is owned by the city within it. The map was compiled by prepared by Lucien Ong through Historic Tacoma. The red addition denoting racially restrictive properties was added by the Mirror based on records from the Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project.