Ville Platte to launch ‘Unity Parks’ System

VILLE PLATTE —The nonprofit E Pluribus Unum (UNUMfund.org), founded in 2018 by former Mayor Mitch Landrieu to combat social and racial inequities in the South, has selected Mayor Jennifer Vidrine of Ville Platte as a member of its inaugural UNUM Fellows class, meeting through 2022.
UNUM Fellows’ first cohort includes a diverse set of Southern elected leaders, from suburban school board members to county commissioners and big-city mayors. Vidrine is the only leader from Louisiana to be chosen for this honor among representatives from 13 Southern states.
“Elected leaders play a crucial role in setting the tone for communities on discussions of racial and economic equity because of their ability to change inequitable and discriminatory policies and practices,” said Mitch Landrieu, founder of E Pluribus Unum. “Just a few years ago, I was in a very similar position as Mayor Vidrine. I know what’s at stake, and I know how important it is to have support and access to resources, experts and tools. That’s where EPU comes in—we designed a fellowship program that creates the space for Mayor Vidrine and other local elected leaders to better realize their power to make lasting change, and leverage the invaluable support of peers, expert advisors and community partners to do so.”
Ville Platte’s Unity Parks project will receive up to $75,000 in seed funding to support the construction of a centralized public gathering space to be called Gazebo Unity, and a series of “pocket parks,” distributed across the city.
Mayor Vidrine explained the genesis of the project as an acknowledgement of Ville Platte’s historical racial divide and its own, homegrown attempts to bridge the gap.
“We are accustomed to coming ‘across the tracks,’ literally, to see each other,” said Vidrine of her city’s Black and White residents, who leave their predominantly segregated neighborhoods to mingle across racial lines for relatively few joint gatherings each year.
“We need a reason and a place to meet in the middle, to start a long-overdue dialogue and discover what makes us great—together—as Ville Plattians, Louisianans and human beings.”
An annual series of planned community events will follow the creation of the central gathering space and associated recreational areas. Local citizens and groups will be encouraged to participate in the design, use and enjoyment of the new Unity Parks public spaces.
Funding for the project will be held in trust by the Baton Rouge-based nonprofit Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX.org) which has the expertise to assist communities statewide on local infrastructure projects, wise growth planning and community engagement. Local corporate partners and individuals will be invited to contribute to the funding effort through sponsorships and tax-deductible donations.
The UNUM Fellows project planning phase is now underway, with construction of the Gazebo and recreational facilities anticipated to begin in the fall of 2021.
For more information, contact Ville Platte City Hall, at: (337) 363-2939.