On a recent hot summer day, a steady beat sounded throughout Dorchester’s Savin Hill Park, as several dozen Black seniors gathered to learn how to play Japanese drums called taiko. It looked like a fairly simple set-up chairs, drums, an instructor, microphones and loudspeakers but organizers put a lot of effort in to make the event feel inclusive. The event was funded by a
A coalition of groups called Olmsted Now is distributing grants to projects that change the way people perceive who’s welcome in parks. The effort is in honor of the 200th birthday of Frederick Olmsted, who designed Boston’s 7-mile-long Emerald Necklace and thought high quality parks should be open and available to all.