Honoring Philly’s Black Environmental Leaders
by Claire Brennan, FOW Communications Coordinator
February is Black History Month, a time to celebrate Black leaders and activists and engage with the rich histories of Black Americans. Though there are countless, we’d like to celebrate just a few of the many Black environmentalists who champion our green spaces here in Philadelphia.
Like any industry, the conservation of our city’s parks requires dedicated efforts from the boots on the ground, ensuring clean and safer use of our trails and recreation sites, all the way to the top from our decision-makers who advocate for more equitable funding and resources for our park users.
We spoke with Susan Slawson, who spent 12 years with the Philadelphia Police Department and was “tapped” by Mayor Michael Nutter in 2008 to join Parks & Recreation prior to the merging of Fairmount Park and the Department of Recreation and serve as commissioner.
Susan Slawson, PPR Commissioner
In her first year with the Recreation Department, she weathered a major financial crisis by raising private funds to open 45 of the city’s 70 pools for families to enjoy.
Slawson spent 20 years with the Department, retired, and has since come back to the since-merged Philadelphia Parks & Recreation as commissioner, per Mayor Cherelle Parker’s recommendation.
“It’s an honor to come back and be able to connect with people who love and work to sustain these natural lands and our parks,” said Slawson.
She now reflects on how invaluable a place to be outside can be, especially in times of crisis like the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think 2008 and COVID really sparked something in people that they now realize what we’ve always known, which is how important parks are and how they help not just our communities but individuals mentally and emotionally,” said Slawson. “These times reinforced that and there’s even more of a demand now for safe spaces, clean spaces, and for inclusion.”
While some have discovered the magic of the Wissahickon in the last couple of years, district supervisor and park ranger for the Wissahickon Valley Park, Sahlee Brown, has fostered nearly a three-decade-long career in the park he grew up in.
Sahlee Brown, Urban Park Ranger Supervisor
Brown, a Mt Airy native, spent his childhood fishing, hiking, and biking throughout the 2,000-acre park and, years later, still enjoys the same activities on the same trails, but now, with his two sons.
His passion has always inspired his work, and what better way to leave his mark on Philadelphia’s parks than to improve accessibility for his fellow mountain bikers? For three years, Brown has worked on plans for a place just for mountain bikers to enjoy in Wister Woods in Fairmount Park.
“I want to provide that safe space [for young bike riders] like we did with skateboarders along the parkway and at FDR Park,” said Brown.
While still in the planning phase, Brown has made significant strides to bring new life to this area of Fairmount Park.
“Philly is a city that has a lot available; the thing is making its resources known to the people that they’re not known to,” said Brown. “My greatest task has been making people comfortable when they come to experience this environment and what they’re supposed to do when they’re here.”
Brown loves his job and has commented that even when he’s not at work, he loves “being at work,” utilizing the park’s trails and enjoying nature. Though he spends more time at his desk now as a supervisor than when he started as a park ranger twenty-seven years ago, he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“This job has helped me with my communication skills; it’s made me a better father and a better person,” said Brown. 
If you’d like to make a career from your love for Philadelphia’s Parks, email Renee.Adderly@phila.gov for more information about upcoming seasonal opportunities.
What a privilege it is to have native Philadelphians using their unique skills to improve their hometown. The same goes for West Philadelphia native Nathan McWilliams, stewardship manager at Riverfront North Partnership.
McWilliams worked with the Student Conservation Association and National Park Service at Yellowstone National Park, Valley Forge National Historical Park, and Gateway National Recreational Area and has since settled back in Philadelphia to steward a variety of the city’s parks with an emphasis on education.
Nathan McWilliams, Stewardship Manager at Riverfront North Partnership
“I’ve been involved with community work since I was five years old,” said McWilliams. “I feel like the best way to make an impact is to start where you come from. I left, got training, and came right back to help out and make a difference.”
McWilliams’s career has been a kaleidoscope of partnerships. He worked for PowerCorpsPHL, an organization that trains Philadelphia’s youth through paid programs and connects them to sustainable careers, as a Crew Leader beginning in 2019. In his current role, he relies on their staff to assist Riverfront North Partnership with invasive and tree removal, clearing land for pollinator gardens, trail extension, and riparian buffer zone projects.
“I still see some of the students I mentored through that program, and it is amazing to see where they are now,” said McWilliams. “I still collaborate with these organizations to this day. You work with them, you work for them, and you never stop working with them. It’s full circle; you never stop helping each other.”
Friends of the Wissahickon is proud to partner with Riverfront North Partnership. Just this month, we teamed up to collect and harvest live tree stakes, which will be used here in the Wissahickon and as a riparian buffer along the Delaware River.
Stay tuned for updates on Riverfront North Partnership’s newest park, Robert L Borski Park which is slated to open in July.
Our city and hundreds of community organizations work tirelessly to maintain and improve Philadelphia’s hundreds of ballfields and courts, playgrounds, recreation centers, spraygrounds, pools, and parks.
Since coming out of retirement this past May, Slawson has been invigorated by the future of Philadelphia.
“I’m excited about the ‘oneness’ and unity spreading through the City,” said Slawson. “We’re going to see our green spaces strengthen and grow.”