Mayor Lauren McLean is proud to announce that the City of Boise plans to name the park under construction at 11th and Bannock Streets in downtown Boise in honor of political trailblazer and fifth-generation Idahoan Cherie Buckner-Webb.
Buckner-Webb has spent her career breaking down barriers. She was the first Black woman elected to the Idaho Legislature, serving in the state House of Representatives from 2010 to 2012 and then serving three terms in the Idaho State Senate, wrapping up her final term in 2020.
“Naming this park for Cherie Buckner Webb honors this trailblazing Boisean who, while making our community a better place has inspired and empowered generations of Boiseans,” said Mayor McLean. “Now everyone who visits this beautiful downtown park will hear her name and have the opportunity to learn about her legacy of service to Boise and the state of Idaho.”
Buckner-Webb is a fierce human rights advocate who has dedicated much of her life to the Boise community. She worked tirelessly to create the Idaho Black History Museum in the historic St. Paul Baptist Church – her great-grandfather’s former church – now located in Julia Davis Park. Her son, Phillip Thompson, runs the museum and is carrying on her legacy of local service. Buckner-Webb has also served on the boards of a variety of local nonprofits and organizations, including the Women’s and Children’s Alliance, the Idaho Human Rights Education Center, and the Andrus Center for Public Policy, among others. She also owns a local consulting and coaching business that develops diversity training for executives.
In addition, Buckner-Webb serves as a Task Force member for the City of Boise’s upcoming cultural site, the Erma Hayman House, located in the River Street neighborhood of downtown Boise.
“Boise afforded opportunities that were denied elsewhere. For 115 years my family has purposefully and proudly chosen to make Boise our home,” said Cherie Buckner-Webb. “I am humbled and honored by the naming of this park. It stands as a testament to the foundation of contribution to community laid by my family across generations.”
PARK NAMING PROCESS
Inspiration for the park name came directly from citizen submissions gathered during a public engagement process earlier this year. A group of project stakeholders tasked with sorting through the more than 1,200 name ideas identified the submission and support the mayor’s decision to name the park in Buckner-Webb’s honor. Before the park name is final, it will be considered by the Boise Parks and Recreation Commission and Boise City Council for approval. This process is expected to be completed in the coming weeks.
The park at 11th and Bannock will be officially dedicated later this summer once construction is complete. View the park master plan online.