FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 5/30/2013
Councilmember Bruce A. Harrell
Councilmember Tom Rasmussen
EVENT DATE
June 4, 2013
5:30 p.m.
Councilmembers Harrell and Rasmussen call second community meeting on honorary street naming to recognize Rev. Dr. Samuel B. McKinney
SEATTLE – Councilmembers Bruce Harrell and Tom Rasmussen announced the second public meeting to hear public feedback on plans for an ‘honorary” street naming of sections of 19th Avenue after Rev. Dr. Samuel B. McKinney. The legal name of 19th Avenue would not change nor would the official addresses on the street. The honorary name change would designate the secondary name for 19th Avenue between E. Union St. and E. Republican St. as ‘Rev. Dr. Samuel B. McKinney Avenue.”
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.”
Councilmember 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 second community meeting is scheduled on Tuesday, June 4, 2013.
WHAT: Community Meeting on Honorary Street Naming of 19th Avenue
WHEN: Tuesday, June 4, 2013, at 5:30 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 perspective on the honorary naming of portions of 19th Avenue (from E. Union to E. Republican Streets) to bruce.harrell@seattle.gov or tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov