FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 5/9/2013
Councilmember Bruce A. Harrell
Councilmember Tom Rasmussen
Councilmembers Harrell and Rasmussen call community meeting on
Street name change to honor Rev. Dr. Samuel B. McKinney
SEATTLE – Councilmembers Bruce Harrell and Tom Rasmussen announced the first of two public meetings to hear public feedback on plans to name sections of 19th Avenue after Rev. Dr. Samuel McKinney.
Councilmember Bruce Harrell, chair of the Council’s Public Safety, Civil Rights and Technology Committee stated, "I am very pleased to listen to members of the community who began the dialogue about honoring Rev. Dr. McKinney. For over 40 years, he has been a civil rights leader, as well as a minister who has positively influenced all of Seattle. Rev. McKinney has been the conscience of our city and has made a lasting mark on race and social justice issues. Rev. McKinney and his late wife, Louise, have made a lasting impact on 19th Avenue in Seattle and beyond."
Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, chair of the Council’s Transportation Committee, stated, "Seattle should honor Rev. Dr. Samuel B. McKinney, and I support Councilmember Bruce Harrell’s proposal for the honorary designation of ‘Rev. Dr. Samuel B. McKinney Avenue’ on 19th Avenue between E. Union and E. Republican Streets."
Rasmussen continued, "Rev. Dr. McKinney has dedicated his life to his church and community. He is a man of many achievements, serving as one of the original members of the Seattle Human Rights Commission, lecturing and teaching at colleges around the nation and opening a church-run Credit Union which strived to assist community members who were unable to open bank accounts and conduct financial transactions in traditional banks. I hope to see his legacy live on through the years."
The first of two community meetings is scheduled for today at 3:00 p.m..
WHAT: Community Meeting on Honorary Street Name Change of 19th Avenue
WHEN: TODAY — Thursday, May 9, 2013, at 3:00 p.m.
WHERE: Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 1634 19th Ave. Seattle, WA 98122
WHO: Councilmember Bruce A. Harrell
Councilmember Tom Rasmussen
- Link to Rev. Dr. Samuel McKinney’s biography: http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&File_Id=152
- Email your support for renaming portions of 19th Avenue (East Union to East Republican Streets) to bruce.harrell@seattle.gov or tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov