Put on the Map: U.S. Street Signs Named After Black Legends
A look at famous Blacks who have been honored on the map.
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U.S. Streets Named After Famous Black Figures - Cities around the country have named street signs after prominent Blacks in celebration of their legacy. Take a look at several icons that have been honored this way. – Natelege Whaley (@nateiege) (Photo: Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Getty Images)
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W.E.B. DuBois Avenue, Harlem - Bradhurst Avenue in Harlem, New York, was renamed “W.E.B. DuBois Avenue” in 2009. DuBois was one of many intellectuals who supported the Harlem Renaissance. (Photo: Keystone/Getty Images)
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Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Atlanta - There are more than 650 streets named after Martin Luther King Jr. in America. MLK Jr. Drive in King's hometown of Atlanta borders the Atlanta University Center, where his alma mater Morehouse College is located. (Photos from left: Richard Sheinwald /Landov, REUTERS/Rebecca Cook)
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Malcolm X Boulevard, Harlem - In 1987, New York mayor Ed Koch proclaimed Lenox Avenue in Harlem, New York, “Malcolm X Boulevard.” The neighborhood was the activist’s old stomping grounds before he was killed. Brooklyn, New York, and Dallas also have streets renamed after Malcolm. (Photo: Terry Disney/Getty Images)
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Rosa Parks Boulevard, Detroit - In 1976, Detroit renamed 12th Street "Rosa L. Parks Boulevard." After Parks left Montgomery, Alabama, she moved to the city, where she died on Oct. 24, 2005. (Photos from left: Photo12/UIG/Getty Images, REUTERS/Rebecca Cook)
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Oprah Winfrey Way, Chicago - “Oprah Winfrey Way” was the name given to the street in front of the media executive’s Harpo Studios in 2011.(Photos from left: Ethan Miller/Getty Images, Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
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Bob Marley Boulevard, Brooklyn - Church Avenue from Remsen Avenue to 98th Street in Brooklyn, New York, was renamed “Bob Marley Boulevard” in 2006. Caribbean residents in the area were proud to honor the Jamaican-born reggae legend in their neighborhood. (Photo: Michael Putland/Getty Images)
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Sam Cooke Way, Chicago - A segment of 36th Street in Chicago was named after the late soul singer Sam Cooke in 2011. He was born in Mississippi but grew up in the Windy City. (Photo: GAB Archive/Redferns)
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Muhammad Ali Boulevard, Louisville, Kentucky - Muhammad Ali’s hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, voted to rename its Walnut Street after the iconic boxer in 1978. (Photo: EMPICS /Landov)
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Jackie Robinson Parkway, New York - In 1997, the Interboro Parkway was renamed after Jackie Robinson, the former legendary Brooklyn Dodgers player. The highway runs from Queens to Brooklyn, New York.(Photo: Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images)
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Jimi Hendrix Way, Bellingham, Washington - The street named after the famed guitarist Jimi Hendrix is located in a city about 90 miles from his birthplace in Seattle. (Photo: David Montgomery/Getty Images)