BOSTON - Tuesday, August 1, 2023 - Today, Mayor Michelle Wu, Boston’s Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space Rev. Mariama White-Hammond, Boston Parks Commissioner Ryan Woods, Mayor's Office of Veterans Services Commissioner Robert Santiago, Boston’s Chief of Arts and Culture Kara Elliott-Ortega, Boston City Council President Ed Flynn, and representatives of the Veterans and Friends of Gourdin Memorial Park Committee unveiled $2.1 million in improvements to the General Edward O. Gourdin African American Veterans Memorial Park. The Roxbury park’s improvements honor Brigadier General Gourdin and all Boston’s Black war veterans, and are a result of community support and work by local artists.
“General Gourdin was a trailblazer in every aspect of his life - in his military service, in athletics, and in our judicial system,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “Thanks to the efforts of our local artists and community organizations, General Gourdin’s contributions and those of all of our country’s Black veterans are forever memorialized for future generations of visitors to this park.”
While at Harvard, Edward Orval "Ned" Gourdin joined the Student Training Corps, and in 1925 enlisted in the National Guard. In 1941, he entered World War II where he was assigned to the 372nd Infantry Regiment, a segregated unit, and served as its commanding officer both in the United States and abroad. He rose to the rank of colonel, serving until 1947. After his discharge, Gourdin rejoined the National Guard and served until 1959 in the 272nd Field Artillery Battalion. He retired having earned the rank of Brigadier General, the first Black soldier to earn this rank in Massachusetts. “This year marks the 75th anniversary of the racial integration of the U.S. Armed Forces, and it is very fitting that we celebrate and recognize the enormous contributions and sacrifices of General Edward O. Gourdin and our Black veterans with the opening of this park,” said Council President Ed Flynn. “General Gourdin was an exceptional individual who served our city and country honorably in a military, sports, and judicial capacity. I wish to thank all those involved for bringing this park to fruition, and to honor our Black veterans who have built a legacy of courage, respect, and distinction.”
Gourdin studied law at Harvard University, was the first man in history to long jump 25 feet, and the first Black olympian to win a silver medal in the Olympics in that event. He was the first Black person to be appointed a Massachusetts Superior Court judge serving on the Court from 1958 until his death in 1966. The many achievements of General Gourdin, as well as the important contributions of all Black military service members in Massachusetts, are now celebrated on the granite entry marker to the park. The park will serve as a place of honor for Black veterans and a place to remember, acknowledge, and educate all Bostonians about this important history.
“For generations, Black veterans have fought for this country, even when it did not always love them back,” said Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space Rev. Mariama White-Hammond. “Because of the efforts of the veterans and community partners who have come here today to celebrate General Gourdin’s legacy, we now have this memorial park honoring Black service members of the past, present, and future.”
"The General Edward O. Gourdin African American Memorial park is a symbol of one man's heroism and impact to his community; and represents the countless unsung heroes who served their country with distinction,” said Veterans Services Commissioner Robert Santiago. “Their stories deserve to be heard, celebrated, and never forgotten.”
“This community-initiated public art project plays a major role in celebrating the contributions and achievements of African American veterans, who have been historically underrepresented in Boston’s public monuments,” said Chief of Arts & Culture Kara Elliott-Ortega. “The artworks commemorating General Gourdin and African American veterans are the result of a collaboration between artists Karen Eutemey and Fern Cunningham-Terry, whose lasting legacies in Boston include an enormous impact on the city's public art and representation of Black history and culture.”
Located in the heart of Nubian Square, General Edward O. Gourdin African American Veterans Memorial Park is now home to a memorial plaza dedicated to Black veterans of Massachusetts. The 18,000-square-foot triangular parcel is bordered by Washington Street, Malcolm X Boulevard, and Shawmut Avenue. The project is the result of the steadfast, multi-year efforts of the Veterans and Friends of Gourdin Memorial Park Committee.
"For far too long, the contributions of Black veterans have gone unrecognized,” said Haywood Fennell, board president of the Veterans and Friends of Gourdin Memorial Park Committee and a Vietnam Veteran. “His memorial stands as a testament to their courage, sacrifice, and unwavering dedication to this nation."
The total project budget of $2,095,000 includes paving, trees, lawn, a granite seat wall, 10 bas reliefs on granite bases, a granite entry marker with interpretive signs, the central bronze Gourdin figure, benches, a flagpole, lighting, and general utilities. The late Boston artist Fern Cunningham-Terry created the figurative bronze sculpture of Brigadier General Gourdin as one of her final works in an illustrious career that produced many noted pieces including “Step on Board” in the South End’s Harriet Tubman Park.
The memorial artwork consists of the Gourdin statue and 10 bronze bas relief sculptures sculpted by artist Karen Eutemey representing Black soldiers across ten different conflicts. Complementing the memorial is an interpretive entry marker, all set within a commemorative plaza designed by Martha Lyon Landscape Architecture.
The artwork design and construction was funded with grants of $440,000 from the Edward Ingersoll Browne Fund, $150,000 in capital funds through the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture, and $50,000 from the MA Department of Veterans Services and approved by the Boston Art Commission.
“Thanks to the accomplishments of General Gourdin and the artwork of Fern Cunningham-Terry and Karen Eutemey we have a fitting memorial that adds an important chapter to our city’s history,” said Boston Parks Commissioner Ryan Woods. “We appreciated the opportunity to work with our veterans and the Roxbury community to create a monument to the sacrifices that our Black veterans have made for our nation.” | 
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