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Transcript/ScriptUSAGM SHARE
((PLAYBOOK SLUG: 1st US Park (TV)
HEADLINE: A Visit to America’s Oldest Public Park
TEASER: Established in 1634, Boston Common attracts millions each year
PUBLISHED: 12/4/2023 at 8:30am
BYLINE: Dora Mekouar
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Boston
VIDEOGRAPHER: Adam Greenbaum
PRODUCER: Dora Mekouar, Adam Greenbaum
SCRIPT EDITORS: Bill Ide, Reifenrath
VIDEO SOURCE (S): Original VOA, Friends of the Public Garden, Various
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _x_ RADIO _x_
TRT: 2:52
VID APPROVED BY: Reifenrath
NOTE: Dora is writing an accompanying web story ))
((INTRO))
[[America’s oldest public park was established in Massachusetts in 1634. Boston Common has seen a lot in its 389-year history and remains as central to city life as it was at its founding centuries ago. VOA’s Dora Mekouar [meh-kwar] reports from Boston.]]
((NATS – Traffic horn))
((NARRATOR))
Nestled in the center of a prominent American city is the country’s first public park. Boston Common was established in 1634, and centuries later, still remains at the center of civic life.
[[Radio: Liz Vizza is president of Friends of the Public Garden, a group that cares and advocates for Boston Common.]]
((Liz Vizza, Friends of the Public Garden))
“America's oldest park. It is a place where we come to celebrate, we come to protest, we come to find a place alone, we come to enjoy festivals and events. Free Shakespeare occurs here every summer.”
((NARRATOR)) ((Courtesy: Massachusetts Historical Society))
Colonists chipped in, via a household tax, to buy the 50-acre property for public use.
((Courtesy: Boston Public Library))
((Liz Vizza, Friends of the Public Garden))
“They didn't have backyards. It was their front yard and backyard and ((end credit)) common ground. It was, you know, a place that everybody owned.”
((Courtesy: Friends of the Public Garden))
((NARRATOR))
In this space, cows grazed, the military trained,
((Courtesy: American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Massachusetts))
British soldiers camped out ((end credit)), and convicted criminals were hanged.
((Courtesy: Library of Congress))
Presidents George Washington and John Adams spent time here. ((end credit))
((NATS – dog park ))
((NARRATOR))
Cows were banned from the Common in 1830. Dogs are the only domesticated animals you’ll find here now.
((NARRATOR))
Boston resident Jim Brinning says he’s witnessed many protests here over the decades.
((Jim Brinning, Boston Resident))
“I think it’s part of Boston's identity.”
In many ways it epitomizes the opportunities in this country. We can disagree, but we use public space.”
((NARRATOR)) ((Courtesy: Friends of the Public Garden))
Today children play in a wading pool when it’s hot, and there’s ice skating in winter. ((end credit)) The Common is a crossroads. Up to 40,000 people come through the park daily… averaging out to about 7 million people a year.
[[radio: For many, Boston Common is a calming gathering place brimming with history and art.]]
((Caitlin Roque, College Student From California))
“I think it's a huge part of the city. I feel like it's an integral part where everyone can just come and relax and enjoy the city together.”
((Gerald Wright, Boston Resident))
“My favorite part? Actually, it’s 'The Embrace.' I love 'The Embrace.'”
((NARRATOR))
The sculpture of civil rights leader Martin Luther King embracing his wife is one of several significant pieces in the park. The Brewer Fountain was the park’s first public piece of art. A sculpture honoring the first all-volunteer Black regiment in the Union army is considered among the finest pieces of American art. Some monuments here will eventually be reconsidered and updated.
[[radio: Again, Liz Vizza of Friends of the Public Garden.]]
((Liz Vizza, Friends of the Public Garden))
“We are trying to say this is not just a white story, and not just a male story, because memorial landscapes tend to be statues of men.”
((NARRATOR))
And there is a deeper story regarding this land,
((Courtesy: Friends of the Public Garden))
which was once home to the Indigenous Massachusett tribe.
((Liz Vizza, Friends of the Public Garden President))
“People have lived on this land for 12,000 years.” ((end credit))
“What's an even more fascinating story is to peel those layers open to think about the native American living here.”
((Courtesy: Friends of the Public Garden))
((NARRATOR))
Vizza’s team is working with tribal members to develop a suitable tribute to the Common’s first caretakers. ((end credit)) They hope to have it rolling by 2026, when America celebrates its 250th birthday.
((NARRATOR))
Dora Mekouar, VOA News, Boston, Massachusetts.
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)Boston
Embargo DateDecember 4, 2023 09:53 EST
BylineDora Mekouar
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
