after voters decided to rename paseo boulevard Kansas city looked for another way to honor dr martin Luther King JR. After months of public meetings and more than 400 suggestions from the community, the parks board will vote on renaming parts of streets along brush creek that are now Blue Parkway, Swope Parkway and vulgar boulevard, they span the city from east to west, and along the route are the Bruce Watkins Cultural Center and martin Luther King JR Square Park. While this quarter wasn’t one of the top choices, it does have the support of the southern christian leadership Conference, which has been pushing for this boulevard for years because it does meet several of its goals. We wanted to be able to say that we have put a location on the table that facilitates economic justice and economic wellness and fairness. For those in Kansas city who have been the most vulnerable lockdown. Most of all Dr Howard says it’s about honoring King’s legacy. We’re talking about lifting up the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize winner, a global hero who changed not only this country, but changed this world toward the principles of love and peace and justice for everybody. If there was a time that we need to lift up the principles of dr martin Luther king JR in Kansas City and across this nation Now is the time in Kansas City, Missouri Bianca Beltran, KMBC nine News.
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Kansas City could name a boulevard in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., again.
The proposed route would connect neighborhoods along Brush Creek.
Updated: 9:27 PM CDT Apr 11, 2021
Kansas City could have a boulevard named in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., again. On Tuesday, the Parks and Recreation Board of Commissioners will vote on a new location.Two years ago, the city council voted to rename Paseo Boulevard in honor of the civil rights leader. Street signs went up in early 2019. By November, voters decided to restore the Paseo name. “It’s unfortunate the way the initial naming ended up, to see Dr. King’s name stripped down from Paseo Boulevard, the former Paseo Boulevard and then revert back to Paseo and see the national and even global response to that was disheartening as a person who loves Kansas City and loves what Dr. King was to all of us. It was hard to see that,” said Parks and Recreation Commissioner Chris Goode.Mayor Quinton Lucas directed the Parks and Recreation Department to gather more community input. Within 90 days, they received 482 suggestions. The conversation continued with public meetings. The top suggestions on locations to bear Dr. King’s name included the new airport terminal, Mill Creek Parkway, 63rd Street, and Troost Ave.Last summer, the board met with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Kansas City, which had first reached out to them with this initiative in 2016. They identified key criteria for the designation. The organization has prioritized boulevards because of the aesthetics and upkeep. They have also pushed for a street that spans city limits, provides direct exposure to Black lives, particularly Black children, and is located within the Central City Economic Development Boundaries and that it be Boulevard.“We wanted to be able to say that we have put a location on the table that facilitates economic justice and economic wellness and fairness for those in Kansas City who have been the most vulnerable and locked out,” said Dr. Vernon Howard Jr., SCLCGKC President.The Parks Department identified a stretch along Brush Creek that is now Blue Parkway, Swope Parkway, and Volker Boulevard. Combined, they connect South Plaza to the East near the Brush Creek Community Center. The boulevard would intersect with Troost Avenue, The Paseo, and Prospect Avenue. The Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Center, the Boys and Girls Club, and Martin Luther King Jr. Square Park would be along the route. “We are talking about lifting up the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize winner, a global hero, who changed not only this country but changed this world toward the principles of love and peace and justice for everybody. If there was a time to lift up the principles of Martin Luther King Jr. in Kansas City, and across this nation, now is the time,” said Dr. Howard.“It’s powerful to know that Black kids should we pass this on Tuesdays that should we pass this on Tuesday, Black kids and brown kids and everybody will have a chance to drive down a thoroughfare that is prominent and emboldens a name that stood for all people. Somebody that stood for everyone. Not somebody that ostracized or put anybody to the side but said that everybody should sit at the table and everybody should sit at the table together,” said Goode. “It’s long overdue. We should have honored Dr. King with a boulevard in Kansas City decades ago honestly so for us to be here in the midst of 2021 in such a climate of change in our country is powerful.”The Parks and Recreation Board of Commissioners will discuss the resolution during their meeting on Tuesday, April 13th at 2 pm.
Kansas City could have a boulevard named in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., again. On Tuesday, the Parks and Recreation Board of Commissioners will vote on a new location.
Two years ago, the city council voted to rename Paseo Boulevard in honor of the civil rights leader. Street signs went up in early 2019. By November, voters decided to restore the Paseo name.
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“It’s unfortunate the way the initial naming ended up, to see Dr. King’s name stripped down from Paseo Boulevard, the former Paseo Boulevard and then revert back to Paseo and see the national and even global response to that was disheartening as a person who loves Kansas City and loves what Dr. King was to all of us. It was hard to see that,” said Parks and Recreation Commissioner Chris Goode.
Mayor Quinton Lucas directed the Parks and Recreation Department to gather more community input. Within 90 days, they received 482 suggestions. The conversation continued with public meetings. The top suggestions on locations to bear Dr. King’s name included the new airport terminal, Mill Creek Parkway, 63rd Street, and Troost Ave.
Last summer, the board met with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Kansas City, which had first reached out to them with this initiative in 2016. They identified key criteria for the designation. The organization has prioritized boulevards because of the aesthetics and upkeep. They have also pushed for a street that spans city limits, provides direct exposure to Black lives, particularly Black children, and is located within the Central City Economic Development Boundaries and that it be Boulevard.
“We wanted to be able to say that we have put a location on the table that facilitates economic justice and economic wellness and fairness for those in Kansas City who have been the most vulnerable and locked out,” said Dr. Vernon Howard Jr., SCLCGKC President.
The Parks Department identified a stretch along Brush Creek that is now Blue Parkway, Swope Parkway, and Volker Boulevard. Combined, they connect South Plaza to the East near the Brush Creek Community Center. The boulevard would intersect with Troost Avenue, The Paseo, and Prospect Avenue. The Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Center, the Boys and Girls Club, and Martin Luther King Jr. Square Park would be along the route.
“We are talking about lifting up the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize winner, a global hero, who changed not only this country but changed this world toward the principles of love and peace and justice for everybody. If there was a time to lift up the principles of Martin Luther King Jr. in Kansas City, and across this nation, now is the time,” said Dr. Howard.
“It’s powerful to know that Black kids should we pass this on Tuesdays that should we pass this on Tuesday, Black kids and brown kids and everybody will have a chance to drive down a thoroughfare that is prominent and emboldens a name that stood for all people. Somebody that stood for everyone. Not somebody that ostracized or put anybody to the side but said that everybody should sit at the table and everybody should sit at the table together,” said Goode. “It’s long overdue. We should have honored Dr. King with a boulevard in Kansas City decades ago honestly so for us to be here in the midst of 2021 in such a climate of change in our country is powerful.”
The Parks and Recreation Board of Commissioners will discuss the resolution during their meeting on Tuesday, April 13th at 2 pm.