Streets named after Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Streets named after Martin Luther King, Jr. can be found in many cities of the United States, and in nearly every major metropolis in America. The number of streets named after King is growing every year:
- As of 2003, there were over 600 American cities that had named a street after King. More than 75% of these streets were in six Southern states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. King's home state of Georgia had the most, with 75 streets as of 2001. Only 11 states in the country did not have a street named after King.[1]
- In 2004, NPR reported that there were some 650 American streets named after King, and more are added every year.[2]
- In 2006, Derek Alderman, a cultural geographer at East Carolina University, reported that more than 730 American cities had named a street after King. 70% of these streets were in seven Southern states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Texas. King's home state of Georgia had the most, with 105 streets. Only 11 states in the country did not have a street named after King.[3]
There are also a number of other countries that have honored King, including no less than ten cities in Italy.
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[edit] Prominent examples
- Miami and Hialeah, Florida: Northwest 62nd Street (East 9th Street in Hialeah) is called Martin Luther King Boulevard since he gave speeches all across the South, including the city of Miami. Ironically , he gave one of his speeches at a church near the intersection of East 8th Street and LeJeune Road. It is unknown when the road got this name. But some Hialeah residents say it was in the middle of the 1970s.
- Chicago, Illinois: In 1968, Chicago became the first city in the country to name a street after King.[4] Today, Martin Luther King Jr. Drive features a Tribute to the Great Northern Migration (a statue honoring the thousands of African Americans who migrated north to Chicago) and a Victory Monument for the Eighth Regiment (featuring a statue of a WWI African American soldier).
- Selma, Alabama: In 1976, Sylvan Street was renamed Martin Luther King Street. King spent many days along Sylvan Street working for civil rights in the 1960s, especially by speaking at First Baptist Church and Brown Chapel. Brown Chapel is the background in a famous Time magazine photograph of King in the 60s. Today, there is a monument honoring King in front of Brown Chapel. Brown Chapel was also the beginning of the route of the infamous Bloody Sunday march led by King. Ironically, the street crosses Jefferson Davis Avenue, named after the president of the Confederacy.
- Atlanta, Georgia -- The Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in King's hometown is a major landmark for tourism. It borders the Atlanta University Center, a conglomerate of historically black colleges and universities that includes King's alma mater Morehouse College.
- Los Angeles, California -- In 1983, Santa Barbara Boulevard in South Los Angeles was renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, three years before President Ronald Reagan signed a law declaring Dr. King's birthday a national holiday. That event was celebrated the first ever Kingdom Day Parade, an annual tradition held on the street between Crenshaw Boulevard and Western Avenue.[1]
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: The Northern section of Eastern Avenue, from E. Reno Avenue north to N. 63rd Street, was renamed "Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard" in honor of his impact on the Oklahoma City and the nation. MLK boulevard is the principle N-S Avenue in Oklahoma City's Eastside section, home to the state's largest African American community. Prominent landmarks along the boulevard include many of Oklahoma City's top attractions, such as the Oklahoma City Zoological Park, Remington Park, and Omniplex Science Museum. Other institutions of note include Bassett Correctional Center, Ralph Waldo Ellison Public Library, the recently rebuilt campus of Frederick Augustus Douglass High School, and the YWCA Branch. It is legend that Dr. King interviewed to become pastor of the historic Baptist Church in today's Deep Deuce Historic neighborhood, but church officials turned him down due to his youthful age.
- Washington, D.C. -- Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE, (formerly Nichols Avenue, SE) is the main commercial street in the part of Southeast Washington east of the Anacostia River. It intersects Malcolm X Avenue, SE (formerly Portland St., SE) near Bolling Air Force Base and St. Elizabeths Hospital. Also very near the street is the home of Frederick Douglass, the famous abolitionist, for whom a major city bridge along South Capitol Street is named. Other streets and bridges streets named for prominent civil rights figures are Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue, NE and the Whitney Young Bridge along East Capitol Street.
- New Orleans, Louisiana: Melpomene Avenue was renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Several murals of King are painted along the boulevard. The boulevard is also near a King statue and memorial on Claiborne Avenue, and the boulevard is part of the route of New Orlean's annual Martin Luther King Day parade. The boulevard is located in Central City, which is historically the city's largest African American commercial district and a major hub for the Uptown African American community.
- New York City, New York: Four blocks of 125th Street through Harlem, designated Doctor Martin L. King, Jr. Boulevard. The street features Apollo Theater, a famous center for African American music.
- Portland, Oregon -- Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard features a large statue of King in front of the Oregon Convention Center.
- Raleigh, North Carolina -- Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard features the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Gardens with a life size statue of Dr. King.
- Seattle, Washington: In 1983, an eight-mile stretch of State Route 900 between Seattle and Renton was renamed from Empire Way to Martin Luther King Jr. Way. At the time the area was roughly 70 percent black.[5]
- Oakland and Berkeley, California: Grove Street, which stretched for several miles north from Downtown Oakland into North Berkeley, was renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Way in 1984. The street had once represented the dividing line between neighborhoods where minorities could and could not live or buy property.
- Little Rock, Arkansas: In 1992, High Street was renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The street, which begins next to the Arkansas State Capitol building, is home to parades and community events. Martin Luther King Jr. Interdistrict Magnet Elementary School is located on the street.
- Savannah, Georgia: Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard features the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum.
- Cleveland, Ohio: Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, formally Liberty Street, used to be a very run down, and dangerous part of the east side of Cleveland. The road is surrounded by a public park, with many lakes, and playgrounds. During the 1980s Martin Luther King Jr. Drive was very dark at night, which is when most of the criminal activity took place. Currently, there are street lights every 10-20 feet, as well as spotlights surrounding the nearby parks. The road is known for its old, beautiful overpasses.
- Charlotte, North Carolina: In 2006, Second Street in Uptown was renamed to Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. It runs through what was once the predominantly Black neighborhood of Brooklyn, which was demolished in the 1960s to make way for expansion of the central business district.
- Baltimore, Maryland: The original name of Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard was Harbor City Boulevard. It was renamed in honor of King shortly after it opened. The boulevard separates the predominantly black neighborhoods of West Baltimore from the downtown central business district.
- Austin, Texas: Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard is seen as a major roadway leading to the University of Texas in the 2000 film Road Trip.
- Fayetteville, Arkansas: Fayetteville City Council voted in January 2008 to officially rename Sixth Street, which passes through the city's historically black neighborhood as well as the southern boundary of the University of Arkansas campus, to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Wal-Mart headed a petition of 71 businesses opposed to the renaming.
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway, a bus rapid transit line, runs 9 miles from Downtown Pittsburgh to Rankin via Shadyside, East Liberty, Homewood, Edgewood, and Wilkinsburg. It is used by an average of 25,000 people each weekday. [2]
- Cincinnati, Ohio: Martin Luther King Drive is a major crosstown artery in Cincinnati. It connects the west side of the city to the east, running through several historic uptown neighborhoods .[6]
[edit] Pop culture
Streets named for Dr. King often traverse African-American communities within cities. It is a stereotype that any street named after King are rough neighborhoods and are to be avoided. Picking up on this stereotype, the irreverent comedian Chris Rock has said, "If you find yourself on 'Martin Luther King Boulevard', run!" [3]
[edit] Notes
- ^ Martin Luther King Jr. Streets in Georgia. The New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 1 December 2006.
- ^ Along Martin Luther King. NPR.org. Retrieved on 1 December 2006.
- ^ King of Streets: Civil-rights icon has hundreds named for him. The Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved on 1 December 2006.
- ^ King of Streets: Civil-rights icon has hundreds named for him. The Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved on 1 December 2006.
- ^ Seattle: Martin Luther King Way is growing into its name. Seattle Times. Retrieved on 1 December 2006.
- ^ Address for Dreams: Martin Luther King Drive. The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved on 19 May 2008
[edit] External links
- Roadways Across America. The Seattle Times, 1998.
