'Realizing the dream, by embracing CHANGE'
NWA MLK Committee and City Council rename Sixth Street in honor of Martin Luther King
Jaclyn Johnson
Issue date: 1/16/09 Section: News
On what would be Martin Luther King Jr.'s 80th birthday, Sixth Street was renamed in his honor. People gathered on the corner of Sixth Street and Razorback Road at 3 p.m. yesterday to formally dedicate one of Fayetteville's busiest streets as Martin Luther King Boulevard.
"This is pivotal and historical," said Danielle Wood, a member of the Northwest Arkansas Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Committee.
The Fayetteville City Council decided to officially rename the well-known street in January of last year. The only cost to the city is the purchase of new street signs, said the Fayetteville Budget Director, Kevin Springer.
This change shows that Fayetteville has a foundation of knowing Martin Luther King is here and his legacy of brotherhood, community and education remains, said Wood. As well, West Sixth Street is on the tip of the University and has a connection to it because King was a proponent of higher education, she said.
The NWA MLK Committee initiated the name change several years ago. President Ernestine Gibson and other committee members solicited support and went to the city council to request changing the name of a major street in Fayetteville to MLK Boulevard., said Wood.
The council approved the change under the condition that Martin Luther King Jr. would be an honorary name for the street for a period of time in order to prepare businesses for an official change of address.
After Sixth Street had an honorary sign for MLK for several years the NWA MLK Committee went back to request the name be changed permanently and was again approved.
Fayetteville is now among more than 600 other cities in the U.S. to have named a street after the civil rights leader, according to a January 2004 broadcast of the Tavis Smiley Show on National Public Radio.
In addition to the renaming, the UA and the NWA MLK Committee are teaming up to offer commemorative events that began yesterday and will last through Jan. 30. Service projects, prayer times, vigils, lectures and films are a few of the various events to be held.
The university division of Alpha Phi Alpha is also involved in some of the events, said Wood.
This year the celebrations have an added, and particularly monumental, addition to the lineup - a live telecast of President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration. Next Tuesday, the Connections Lounge in the Union will be tuned in to the inauguration between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., according to the NWA MLK Committee's Web site.
A film biography, "King," will also be shown in the lounge after the inauguration. For further event and service project information, visit Nwamlk.org.
The philosophies of Dr. King are not just for people of color, but for the civil rights of all in the community, said Wood.
"This is pivotal and historical," said Danielle Wood, a member of the Northwest Arkansas Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Committee.
The Fayetteville City Council decided to officially rename the well-known street in January of last year. The only cost to the city is the purchase of new street signs, said the Fayetteville Budget Director, Kevin Springer.
This change shows that Fayetteville has a foundation of knowing Martin Luther King is here and his legacy of brotherhood, community and education remains, said Wood. As well, West Sixth Street is on the tip of the University and has a connection to it because King was a proponent of higher education, she said.
The NWA MLK Committee initiated the name change several years ago. President Ernestine Gibson and other committee members solicited support and went to the city council to request changing the name of a major street in Fayetteville to MLK Boulevard., said Wood.
The council approved the change under the condition that Martin Luther King Jr. would be an honorary name for the street for a period of time in order to prepare businesses for an official change of address.
After Sixth Street had an honorary sign for MLK for several years the NWA MLK Committee went back to request the name be changed permanently and was again approved.
Fayetteville is now among more than 600 other cities in the U.S. to have named a street after the civil rights leader, according to a January 2004 broadcast of the Tavis Smiley Show on National Public Radio.
In addition to the renaming, the UA and the NWA MLK Committee are teaming up to offer commemorative events that began yesterday and will last through Jan. 30. Service projects, prayer times, vigils, lectures and films are a few of the various events to be held.
The university division of Alpha Phi Alpha is also involved in some of the events, said Wood.
This year the celebrations have an added, and particularly monumental, addition to the lineup - a live telecast of President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration. Next Tuesday, the Connections Lounge in the Union will be tuned in to the inauguration between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., according to the NWA MLK Committee's Web site.
A film biography, "King," will also be shown in the lounge after the inauguration. For further event and service project information, visit Nwamlk.org.
The philosophies of Dr. King are not just for people of color, but for the civil rights of all in the community, said Wood.
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