Steve Coleman

For Steve Coleman, his passion for nature and parks, and thus his identity as a Firesoul, has been ingrained in him since a very young age. Steve has a personal connection to both of his Sacred Places: he helped found groups to protect and maintain them as a kid over 50 years ago.

At Washington Parks and People, Washington D.C.’s leading nonprofit dedicated to activating public lands for community growth and revitalization, Steve serves as the Executive Director and President. He describes his work as “community park transformation,” Indeed, Steve’s work has an immense impact on the community around him.

“We help people reconnect with the land and use the land to reconnect people with each other. In doing so, we are helping to restore nature as a vital force in the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.”

Steve’s two Sacred Places, the Meridian Hilltop Park and the Marvin Gaye Amphitheater in Marvin Gaye Park, are true anchors of their respective communities.

The Meridian Hilltop Park are both beautiful landmarks in D.C.’s Meridian Hill neighborhood. The park is an Italian-designed garden, with majestic stone arches and stairs leading to a beautiful reflecting pond. The park is said to be set on the exact same longitude that the original marker of Washington D.C. was set on. It hosts weekly outdoor community events such as musical performances, meditations, and races and is a perfect viewing point for July 4th fireworks in the nation’s capital.

The Marvin Gaye Amphitheater, named after the iconic American musician, is located in Northeast D.C. The amphitheater hosts a summer concert series, plays, and forms a part of the larger park surrounding it, which is a positive community space.

For Steve, being a Firesoul is all about pushing his Sacred Places closer to being the best places they can be for the community which they serve.

“Firesouls are people who see the deeper meaning and power of natural places to breathe light, beauty, community, power, and peace into our world.”

Steve takes his passions of nature and community, and combines them to improve the world around him, making him a true Firesoul.

“The most powerful tool on earth is community. When we bring together the natural and human communities, we can do anything.”