For the young athletes who will run across the new turf at Tandy Park, the reopening of Tuskegee Airmen Field means something simple: a safe place to play.
For people who have spent years in the Ville, it represents something more.
City leaders, neighborhood advocates, Sumner High School representatives, alumni and residents gathered Friday afternoon to celebrate the reopening of the field after a $2.4 million renovation that transformed the space across from historic Sumner High School.
The improvements include new turf, a track, bleachers, a scoreboard system, fencing around the football field and an updated public address system. The field is the only city-operated turf field in St. Louis and is expected to welcome thousands of young athletes and their families each year.
Mayor Cara Spencer said the celebration came at an important moment for a North St. Louis neighborhood still recovering from the May 16 tornado.
Sumner High School remains closed, and Spencer acknowledged there is still a long road ahead for families and institutions working to rebuild.
“I hope this field is a place of joy and that it signals better days are ahead of us,” Spencer said.
Standing near a school that has educated generations of Black St. Louisans, Spencer said the investment was about more than new turf and equipment.
“It’s about teamwork,” Spencer said. “It’s about community, and it’s about memories that our children will carry with them for lifetimes ahead.”
City Recreation Commissioner Juakena Callion said getting the field completed had been a long process involving several city departments and people committed to improving the space for children.
“It is such a joy to see it finally come to life,” Callion said. “It’s a dream for our boys, our girls that cheer on the field, that actually play on the field as well.”
Callion said the space is not intended for football alone. The city hopes soccer, track, lacrosse and field hockey can eventually become part of the activity there.
More than 350 boys and girls participate in the city’s football and cheer programs, according to Callion.
But she emphasized that recreation is about creating opportunities for children whether they consider themselves athletes or not. City programs also include swimming, dance, art, computer science, robotics, chess, esports, cooking and other activities.
“This is a place where your kids can come to grow,” Callion said.
Sumner High School Principal Dr. Rhonda Wallace said having that kind of space nearby is personal.
“My babies need a safe, bright, lit area to practice, even to study, or even to just come and be a part of camaraderie with their friends,” Wallace said.
Wallace said she wants students to see the field as evidence that people in the community are thinking about them and listening to what they need.
“What I want my students to take from this is that community is real,” Wallace said. “Positive student advocacy is real.”
Julia Allen, a co-founder of 4theVille and Sumner alumna, said the renovated field offers something that has been difficult to find in a neighborhood that has experienced years of disinvestment.
Hope.
“This is a sign of hope,” Allen said. “This part of the city has been so disinvested in.”
Allen said the field connects the future of the neighborhood with the history surrounding it. She pointed to Sumner’s history and its connection to the Tuskegee Airmen, saying young people deserve to understand the significance of the place where they are growing up.
“This is a legacy to honor those people and to honor Sumner High School,” Allen said. “It is a safe place for kids to come now and feel proud of having a place to come.”
The field is scheduled to host its inaugural homecoming celebration and youth football game Sunday, Oct. 4, beginning at 10:30 a.m.
Retired Air Force Maj. Yolanda Wood, president of the Tuskegee Airmen Hugh J. White Chapter, reminded those gathered Friday that the Black military aviators whose name is displayed at the park repeatedly had to prove themselves in the face of segregation, racism and doubt.
Wood said she wants children walking onto the field to carry that same confidence with them when someone questions what they are capable of doing.
“Every time the Tuskegee Airmen faced an obstacle, they let their actions lead,” Wood said.
Young people will win games and lose games. They will face challenges in school, at work and in their neighborhoods. The important part, Wood said, is learning to show up, compete and give their best.
“When the kids come here, challenge them to excel,” Wood said. “Expect them to excel.”
And when someone asks whether they can do better, Wood said she hopes their answer will echo the men and women whose legacy surrounds the field.
“Watch me.”