% 2012
L
January II, 2012
M
a r t in
L u t h e r K in g J r .
Page 7
special edition
Named in Honor of Martin Luther King
Streets across America pay tribute
Throughout the country, nearly
every city, both large and small,
contain at least one street dedi­
cated to the memory of Rev. Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr., one of
the nation’s most respected and
powerful civil rights leaders.
Although the legacy of Dr.
King, who was tragically killed
at39-years-oldon April 4,1968,
is remembered through a variety
of venues across America, ac­
cording to Derek Alderman, an
East Carolina University geog­
rapher, in 2010 there were at
least 893 Martin Luther King Jr.
streets in the United States, and
the number keeps on growing.
Although most named after
numbers, landscapes, trees or
the commerce or industry his­
torically present within the area,
street names in honor of a sur­
name of an important individual
has taken on a popular trend.
While seemingly an easy and
quick way to recognize an indi­
vidual, the effect of the naming
can be quite powerful, often af­
fecting the way residents iden­
tify with the surrounding area.
In Portland, Martin Luther
King Jr. Boulevard, which was
originally named Union Avenue,
runs through the Northeast part
of the city and is home to the
city’s notable statue of Dr. King,
which sits in front of the Oregon
Convention Center.
Martin Luther King Jr. Boule­
vard is also where The Portland
O bserver offices are located
within the city.
Below, we have compiled de­
scriptions of several other streets,
roads and boulevards, which
have been named after MLK
throughout the country:
Baltimore, Md.
In B altim o re, w hich has
m ore than 63.5 p ercen t A fri­
can A m erican resid en ts, M ar­
tin L u th er King Jr. B o u le­
vard b eg in s at an ex it on In ­
te rstate 395 and co n tin u es to
C h a se S tre e t at P ark A v ­
enue. O rig in ally nam ed H ar­
bor C ity B oulevard, the street
was renam ed in honor of King
sh o rtly after it o pened.
Jackson, Miss.
W h itfield M ills S treet, lo ­
cated in a p red o m in an tly A f­
r ic a n -A m e ric a n n e ig h b o r ­
hood, w as ch an g ed to M artin
L u th e r K ing S tre e t in the
1980s, and in te rse c ts w ith
M edgar E vers B oulevard at
a Ja ck so n lan d m ark called
F reed o m C o rn er, w hich is
Northeast Martin
Luther King Jr.
Boulevard in Port­
land (right) pays
tribute to the civil
rights leader.
h o st to one o f th e largest
M artin L uther King Jr. Day
parades w ithin the country.
San Francisco
Throughout the Bay area, San
Francisco’s Martin Luther King
Drive is one of two roads that
spans virtually the entire length
of the famous Golden Gate Park
, along with John F. Kennedy
Drive.
Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
in Atlanta, Dr. King's hometown,
is a landmark for tourists visiting
the city. The street not only in­
c lu d e s
his alm a m a ter
Morehouse College, but it also
runs by the Atlanta University
Center.
A
G
R E E N B R IE R
C O M P A N Y
Savannah, Ga.
On Martin Luther King Jr.
B oulevard in Savannah, the
street is home to the regionally
known Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil
Rights Museum.
New York City
Atlanta, Ga.
GUNDERSON
In New York City, the entire
125th Street, which runs through
the historically famous Harlem,
is designated Doctor Martin L.
King Jr. Boulevard. The street
also hosts the Apollo Theater,
which is a famous center for
African-American music.
? Darkness
cannot drive out
darkness: only
light can do that.
-- Rev. Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr.
I
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