The Trust for Public Land Announces Dallas Community Leader Taylor Toynes joins National Board of Directors

The Trust for Public Land announced today that Taylor Toynes has joined the organization’s board of directors. Toynes was elected to the National Board of Directors on January 28, 2021. 

Working as a community organizer in the South Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas, Taylor Toynes is on a mission to overturn systemic oppression in his community, and parks are one of his more powerful tools. In addition to serving as the Executive Director and founder of the nonprofit community organization, For Oak Cliff, he represents his neighborhood on the City of Dallas’s Park and Recreation Board, which manages the city’s park system. 

“I’ve always believed in order to incite change, you need to engage the community, and The Trust for Public Land makes that the center of its work,” said Toynes. “I’m honored and excited to join The Trust for Public Land’s National Board of Directors and to devote my time and energy to building a more equitable future for South Oak Cliff, and communities across the country.” 

After graduating with his master’s degree in education from Southern Methodist University, Toynes returned to the neighborhood he grew up in with the singular focus of working to overturn the decades of racism and systemic oppression that have limited the opportunities for its residents, especially youth and children. He brought this passion and commitment to his students at W.W. Bushman Elementary School where he taught. Shortly thereafter, he launched the first annual Back To School Festival, a vessel to equip the community and students with the necessary supplies and resources for the new school year. For his leadership, he has received awards from the United Nations, the NAACP, and Southern Methodist University and was named an Echoing Green Fellow in 2020. 

Toynes is a key partner of The Trust for Public Land’s efforts around the Five Mile Creek Greenbelt Master Plan and has a deep commitment to the work of building equitable communities. 

Parks are an essential part of improving public health, protecting vulnerable communities from the impacts of the climate crisis, and building strong community cohesion. And yet, 100 million people, including 28 million kids, do not have access to a quality park within a 10-minute walk from home. The parks we do have are not equitable, as parks serving primarily Black, Latino, Indigenous and Native American, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and other communities of color are half the size and serve five times more people per acre than parks in primarily white neighborhoods. 

To bring health, climate and community benefits of the outdoors to all, The Trust for Public Land is leading a coalition of more than 200 community organizations to push for a one-time, historic $500 million investment in park equity a future federal stimulus. In addition, The Trust for Public Land is challenging the private sector to invest $50 million for the new Equitable Communities Fund to energize and accelerate the efforts of historically marginalized communities to create parks and open space across 62 communities where funding can be used immediately to help expand access. 

About The Trust for Public Land 

The Trust for Public Land creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. Millions of people live near a Trust for Public Land park, garden, or natural area, and millions more visit these sites every year. To support The Trust for Public Land and share why nature matters to you, visit www.tpl.org. 

# # #