City News Blog: City of Lakeland Will Honor Civil Rights Leader with Park Dedication Ceremony

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LAKELAND, FL (June 10, 2025) | The City of Lakeland will host a special dedication ceremony to rename a local park in honor of a pioneering civil rights leader and community advocate. The public is invited to attend the Nellie Madalynne Brooks Park Dedication on Saturday, June 14 at 9 a.m., located at 1235 North Webster Avenue.

Nellie Madalynne Brooks, a tireless advocate for civil rights and social justice, left an indelible mark on Lakeland and beyond. Born in Miami to Rev. David Alexander Hamilton and Jessie Stringer Hamilton, Madalynne’s early exposure to racial injustice while traveling with her minister father ignited a lifelong passion for equality.

After moving to Lakeland at age 15, Madalynne graduated from Washington Park High School and immersed herself in every local organization aligned with the fight for civil liberties. A lifelong NAACP member, she served as a membership chair, helped organize rallies across Florida, and played a vital role in the local voting rights movement. In 1963, she marched in Washington, D.C. alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and was active in numerous sit-ins and demonstrations throughout the 1960s and 70s.

"Renaming the park in honor of Madalynne Brooks is a tribute to her extraordinary courage, steadfast pursuit of justice, and enduring impact on our community,” said City of Lakeland Mayor Bill Mutz. “The June 14 ceremony will be a heartfelt celebration of her remarkable life and legacy. Her leadership was instrumental in the integration of Lakeland General Hospital, downtown lunch counters, and the Polk Theatre, and she was a driving force behind the renaming of the Larry R. Jackson Branch Library."

Beyond activism, Madalynne was a successful business owner, a counselor for the Community Action Migrant Program, and the first Black female matron at the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Her devotion to youth education led her to secure scholarships and grants for countless local students — a legacy that continues through the Washington Park–Rochelle High School Alumni Association. She was a dedicated member of New Bethel AME Church and a respected figure in statewide civil rights efforts.

 

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