In an article dated 2006, The Wichita Eagle reported on the efforts of various youth groups, including the Wichita Branch NAACP and the Urban League of the Mid-Plains, to rename Reflection Square Park after civil rights leader Chester I. Lewis. The Wichita City Council officially renamed the park Chester I. Lewis Reflection Park in January 2007, and it was dedicated on May 27, 2007.
Fast forward to 2020, the city council approved remodeling plans for the park to accommodate the new Kansas Health Science Center. By 2021, the redesign plans were unveiled, as reported by The Wichita Eagle on September 16, 2021. The park will feature a small stage with a floor resembling the “redline” map of Wichita, showcasing historical segregation patterns. Additionally, the park will include a stainless steel structure representing a house, with panels highlighting Lewis’ activism in various aspects of the civil rights movement. Each panel is progressively angled to give the impression of a roof gradually opening to the sky. Visitors can access more information about Lewis’ life and achievements through QR codes on historical displays.
A look at the man behind the park:
Courtesy: City of Wichita
Chester I. Lewis Jr. was born on August 8, 1929, in Hutchinson, Kansas. Lewis grew up in a family deeply engaged in the struggle for racial equality, working on The Hutchinson Blade newspaper alongside his parents.
After attending the University of Kansas, where he graduated third in his class in 1953, Lewis moved to Wichita with his wife, Jackie. From that moment, Lewis went on a crusade against segregation and discrimination.
Courtesy; University of Kansas
One of his earliest victories came in 1953 when he filed a lawsuit to desegregate Wichita’s city swimming pools. This was followed by his involvement in the Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education in 1954, where he was part of the legal team that argued before the U.S. Supreme Court.
In 1958, Lewis provided legal counsel and support to the youth who staged what is believed to be the nation’s first lunch counter sit-in at Dockum Drug Store on Douglas.
Throughout the 1960s, Lewis continued his fight for equality, confronting housing segregation by daring to live in a white-only neighborhood and representing those affected by tragedies like the Piatt plane crash in 1965.
Courtesy: University of Kansas.
Lewis’s commitment to economic justice was unwavering. He challenged discrimination in employment practices and won numerous cases against major employers, ensuring fair treatment and opportunities for African Americans in the workforce.
Considered one of the most important garments in a 2023 Wichita Art Museum exhibit. Wichita Wore What? A Century of Local Fashion. This dashiki was worn by Lewis. The museum noted it “reflected his embrace of his African heritage and rejection of the status quo in contemporary American culture.” The West African pullover was a popular style during the 1960’s.
Chester I. Lewis Jr. passed away on June 15, 1990, leaving behind a legacy that continues to shape the fight for civil rights.
I recently did a story on the Chester I Lewis Academic Learning Center and you can check out my visit to the old Lewis Reflection Park.