A FIRST OF ITS KIND PARK THAT HONORS COMMUNITY AND DIVERSITY, WHILE ADVANCING EQUITY AND BELONGING.

Atlanta's Sara J. González Memorial Park is history-making. It is the first park named for a Latino in the State of Georgia and the first ever memorial to a Latino. Located in Atlanta’s Westside, this urban greenspace honors inclusivity and cultural diversity and is accessible to individuals of all abilities. The park programming prioritizes social, health, and educational enrichment with offerings including K-5 literacy efforts, children’s soccer clinics, food distributions, and medical screenings.

The Sara J. González Memorial Park debuted on October 2018 with Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms keynoting. The park’s six core design features embody the values of diversity, community, dignity, and family. The park was designed with a focus on experiential symmetry. The park features include: (1) ADA-compliant wheelchair access throughout thanks to the Wheels in the Woods Foundation; (2) a playground for children of all abilities and all-ability musical and fitness equipment, which debuted in 2025; (3) a children's soccer field inaugurated by Mayor Andre Dickens; (4) the first Learning Nook — an all-access, seated and covered education area — in an Atlanta park where literacy programs are held; (5) a “Unity Plaza” that honors Atlanta's diverse population and is the host location of 6 food distributions annually serving 1000+ families in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of international and Immigrant Affairs/Welcoming Atlanta; (6) the Officer Edgar Flores Memorial Learning Garden, which debuted October, 2019, with support from the University of Georgia and is the inspiration for the children’s literacy and STEM programs Little Seedlings and Sprouting Readers in partnership with Emory Univeristy and Agape Youth and Family Center.

Like the park itself, the Officer Edgar Flores Memorial Learning Garden is also history-making. This small garden designed in the shape of a flower honors the first Latino police office shot and killed in the line of duty, DeKalb County Police Officer Edgar Flores who died December 2018 at the age of 24. The garden is the city’s only Latin ethnobotanical learning garden and was created with support from the University of Georgia. Inspired by this unique garden, we debuted in 2022 the Sprouting Readers Program in partnership with Emory University’s Urban Health Initiative, Agape Youth and Family Center, and Bolton Academy. This year-long, twice-monthly program provides literacy and garden-oriented STEM education to 2nd/3rd graders in the community as a way to drive positive social and health outcomes.

The park regularly debuts new features, most recently an all-abilities swing set and water fountain thanks to Truist Foundation; a bilingual lending library “Biblioteca Carmen Rita” with the Little Free Library Read in Color program and thanks to the Carmen Rita Wong Family Foundation; and a stunning large scale permanent sidewalk mural donated by the Savannah College of Art and Design’s Paint our Parks program and graduate José Ray alongside Sara’s granddaughter and SCAD graduate Paulina de La Valette; and the summer of 2026 saw the first-ever extreme heat distress warning signage placed in a park thanks to Moms Clean Air Force and City of Atlanta’s Office of Emergency Preparedness.

The Sara J. González Memorial Park celebrates Atlanta’s diverse communities while honoring Latino contributions to the city and commemorating the legacy of Sara J. González — a devoted mother and Cuban immigrant whose faith in the American Dream propelled her from small business owner to revered immigrant and minority-rights leader who served all in her community with joy and compassion.

Located at 2411 Coronet Way at Bolton Road on Atlanta's Westside, in the same neighborhood where Ms. González lived for 30 years until her passing in 2008, this trailblazing park pays tribute to Ms. González's love of children, support of families, and her lifelong advocacy for inclusiveness and tolerance.

The park’s development and continued growth is led by her daughter, Isabel González Whitaker, who shared the story of the park’s creation in a 2023 TedxAtlanta Talk.

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VISIT THE MENU BAR ON THE TOP RIGHT TO SEE PAST EVENTS, READ PRESS, LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PLAYSCAPE, THE SCAD ART PROJECT, THE GARDEN, SPROUTING READERS, AND MEET OUR SUPPORTERS.