Brenda Richardson featured in National Museum of Natural History's StoryMap

Brenda Lee Richardson 

Vice-chair, Friends of Oxon Run

Ward 8 resident 

“I refer to my community as disfavored. We are showered with collective trauma. We’re always in fight-or-flight mode. 

Oxon Run is 2.7 miles long—it’s the biggest park in the District. It’s so lush, so green. But getting people in here to activate the park has been hard. There are so many trees here, and our community associates trees with hidden dangers.  

During the pandemic, we hosted outdoor learning and ‘trauma breaks’ for people to gather and talk. We’d get 15 to 30 people, and that mass really changed things. 

We’ve created a Mother’s Peace Garden and are growing a “memory forest.” Families plant a tree to remember a lost loved one. They become invested in those trees and keep coming back.  

The real beauty of the park is that it’s not going anywhere. I take the little free time I have to sit on a bench, breathe, and feel connected to Mother Earth.”