HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson City Council gave approval to naming the new downtown pocket park after civil rights advocate Chester I. Lewis.

The naming of the park, which is located in the unit block of East 1st Avenue, came as part of a revision to city code, adding the small plaza and the Rivers Banks Orchard Park to the list of city parks.

“I think it’s only fitting that the plaza be named in his memory in Hutchinson, his hometown, where he was born and raised,” Daryl Pope said. “He grew up just a few blocks from where that park is.”

Lewis was a leader in the NAACP and was a leader in pushing for civil rights in central Kansas. He was president of the Wichita chapter of the NAACP. He is credited with helping to desegregate restaurants, swimming pools, aircraft companies and local government agencies. He also lobbied for a fair housing ordinance, and mentored and counseled black students.

“He was a dynamic individual, a forward-progressive thinking young man,” Pope added. “He encouraged others who were younger to pursue social justice and equality for everybody.”

The Parks Department is looking for various ways to dedicate the plaza to Lewis and to tell his story as a civil rights leader in the area.