By Elijah Qualls AFRO Intern
Mayor Muriel Bowser unveiled the newly renamed Mamie “Peanut” Johnson Plaza on June 2 in remembrance and celebration of the first and only female pitcher in the Negro Leagues, Mamie “Peanut” Johnson.
With the assistance from the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and NoMa Business Improvement District (NoMa BID), Mayor Bowser was able to provide $41 million worth of improvements. The once congested and unsafe intersection of Florida Avenue Northeast, Eckington place Northeast, and First street Northeast has now been altered to simplify traffic patterns, protect cyclers and pedestrians and introduce three public parks. This new development also allows for easier transit between the surrounding communities.
“This design has been a long time coming,” Mayor Bowser said. “This area of our city has been growing quickly, and we had to make sure our infrastructure kept up with that growth.”
DDOT Director Sharon Kershbaum acknowledged Mayor Bowser’s pivotal role in the improvements.
“Thanks to Mayor Bowser’s leadership and sustained investment in critical infrastructure, these projects transform a once-chaotic intersection into a corridor that supports all modes of travel while creating new green spaces for these communities,” she said.
According to NoMa BID’s website, the Mamie “Peanut” Johnson plaza includes ample green space, but also provides areas for public art to be displayed. Local residents were able to provide their input and vote on the historical name honoring the baseball legend.
Mamie “Peanut” Johnson, born on September 27, 1935, was one of three women to ever play and the only one to pitch in the Negro Leagues. According to reporting in AFRO reporter Kevin Wilson’s article published in 2002, titled “Mamie ‘Peanut’ Johnson, a Negro League Legend”, Johnson earned her nickname after striking out a player for the Birmingham Black Barons who said she was too small – the size of a peanut – to strike anyone out. She proceeded to do just that on him and the nickname’s irony stuck.
Following her time in the league, Johnson was recognized through awards and an invitation to the White House from former President Bill Clinton. Beyond that, she went on to be a nurse for 30 years and raise her son. Though she passed away on December 18, 2017, her tales continue to be sung and eternalized through projects such as this.
This project is a part of a much larger mission for Mayor Bowser, who is carrying out her third consecutive term as mayor and making history as the first African-American woman to ever be elected for a third four-year term in an American city. Over the past 10 years, Bowser’s administration has repaved and amended over 1,200 miles of roads and sidewalks, constructed over 50 miles of bike lanes, and provided 13 more miles of bus lanes.
Mayor Bowser is continuing to advocate for more transportation projects like the Mamie “Peanut” Johnson Plaza. In her Fiscal Year of 2026 Budget Proposal which she presented a week prior to the plaza unveiling, Bowser pushed for long-term investments of infrastructure that will uplift the Washington, D.C. community.