Mansfield Park Renamed: Honoring Doris J. Thompson

The renaming of Mansfield Park to Doris J. Thompson Park represents a landmark victory for the Sugar Hill Neighborhood. Spearheaded by the Sugar Hill Community Land Trust, the campaign sought to replace a park name tied to racially restrictive housing covenants with one honoring Doris J. Thompson, a beloved mentor, advocate, and champion for generations of Tucson youth. 

Working alongside the Sugar Hill Neighborhood Association, the Thompson family, and the City of Tucson's Ward 3 Office, SHCLT organized public support for the renaming, which both celebrates Doris Thompson's decades of service to Tucson youth and through the Parks & Recreation program while also acknowledging the discriminatory history associated with the park's former namesake. 

Through organizing, public education, and coalition building, SHCLT helped secure broad community support for a change that better reflects the values and history of Tucson's historic Black community.