Public Museum premieres interview on Grand Rapids first black mayor

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

 

Rev. Lyman S. Parks with his family. (Supplied/GRPM)

The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) announced it will continue its Black History Month celebration with a special recorded interview with Lyman Parks, Jr., son of Grand Rapids’ first black mayor, Rev. Lyman S. Parks. The interview will premiere on the Museum’s social media channels Feb. 28 at 7 p.m.

 

The interview is being recorded in partnership with Grand Rapids Community Media Center’s GRTV and will premiere on the Museum’s Facebook and Youtube social channels. The interview and discussion will be hosted by the GRPM’s President & CEO, Dale Robertson, and VP of Human Resources, Mari Beth Jelks. The discussion focuses on Rev. Parks’ tenure as the Mayor of Grand Rapids, from 1971 to 1976. Following the online premiere of the interview, GRTV will also broadcast the discussion March 1 at 5:30 p.m.

 

Lyman Parks, Jr. serves on the GRPM’s Board of Trustees and Collections Committee, and is the Chair of the City of Grand Rapids appointed Art and Museum Commission.

 

“The Museum encourages guests to explore Black History everyday within the Museum’s core exhibits, and we’re excited to showcase this special discussion about the Parks Family with the broader Grand Rapids community,” said Mari Beth Jelks, VP of Human Resources at the GRPM. “Stories like the ones Mr. Parks shared with us become oral histories that live in our Collections and offer a deeper look into the history of Grand Rapids. I encourage everyone to watch the premiere online or when it airs on GRTV in March.”

Who was Rev. Lyman Parks

Rev. Lyman Parks was the first, and as of 2021, only African-American to be elected Mayor of Grand Rapids. Parks came to Grand Rapids in 1965 as pastor of the African Methodist Episcopal Church at 500 James Ave. He became involved in community affairs and in 1968, one year after the race riots in Grand Rapids, Parks was elected as the first black city commissioner for the city. In 1971, he was elected mayor and held the post until 1975. He retired from the Grand Rapids church in 1986 and moved to African Methodist Church in the Chicago area until 2000. He and his wife then returned to Grand Rapids to be close to his children and grandchildren. Parks passed away in 2009.

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