Powell S. Barnett (2 August 1883 – 16 March 1971) was a Seattle-based musician, civil rights activist, and African American community leader.
[1] His father, an ex-slave, was one of many black miners recruited to work in the coal mines of Washington state.
[2] Barnett was a community leader who worked to improve race relations, organizing the Leschi Improvement Council and serving as its first president in 1967,[3] organizing the East Madison YMCA, and acting as its chairman, and chairing the committee that revised the Seattle Urban League.
[4] In 1967 he was named Seattle-King County's Senior Citizen of the Year for his history of service and contributions to the local community.
Named in honor of community activist Powell Barnett, the 4.4-acre park had begun to show its age.