Lakeland Park Renaming Proposal for Civil Rights Activist Madalynne Brooks

Proposal to Rename Lakeland Park

• 📌 A Lakeland park may be renamed to honor Madalynne Brooks, a significant civil rights leader and political activist in Polk County.
• 💡 The proposal aims to rename Webster Park, located on the street where Brooks lived for over 30 years, to Madalynne Brooks Park.

Madalynne Brooks' Civil Rights Contributions

• ✊ As a member of the local NAACP, Brooks was instrumental in ending segregation in Lakeland during the 1960s.
• 🤝 She played a key role in integrating the Crest Department Store and the Polk Theater.
• ⚖️ Brooks was the first black matron/jail officer hired by the Polk County Sheriff's Office and later successfully sued the agency for racial and sexual discrimination, opening doors for other women of color.
• 🗳️ She also actively fought for voter registration, organizing transportation for Black residents to reach the polls.

Community Advocacy for Renaming

• 🗣️ Lakeland residents presented their appeal to city commissioners to rename the park in her honor.
• ⏳ The effort to rename the park has been ongoing for nearly a decade, with Annie File being one of the first to propose the change.
• ✨ The renaming is seen as a tribute to Brooks' efforts in making Lakeland a better place to live.
• 💖 Her daughter expressed immense pride and support for the park being named in her mother's memory.