MLK Drive.
MLK Drive.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive abruptly ends at the entrance of Downtown Milwaukee. Rather than continuing, the street named after an important leader of the civil rights movement becomes Old World Third Street.
“Milwaukee is notoriously placed on national lists of being the worst at everything for Black people,” said Alderwoman Milele Coggs to the Public Works Committee on Jan. 27. “As we work to change and improve not just the perception, but the reality of the quality of life for black people and all citizens, we have to be intentional in our efforts of equity and inclusion in policy, process and, yes, even infrastructure, and how and what it is named.”
Coggs spearheaded the effort to rename Old World Third Street to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., removing the compromise made in 1984 when the council decided to split North Third Street rather than rename the entire street. The renaming has been backed by the entire common council, County Executive David Crowley and Executive Director of the Westown Association Stacie Callies.
“We definitely view this ordinance as more than just changing the name of a street,” Callies said. “Most importantly, we feel the change is a timely opportunity to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose message of unity and equality are more important than ever in our divided society.”
Coggs referred to the tearing down of confederate statues and Milwaukee County’s renaming of parks to notable African Americans as she explained the significance of the name change. “Many people ask, ‘Why now?’ To them I say, ‘Why not? And, if not now, then when?’” Coggs said. “Simply put, it's time. And, in the words of Dr. King, ‘The time is always right to do what is right.’”
The Milwaukee Common Council unanimously passed a resolution to rename Old World Third Street to Dr. Martin Luther King Drive on Feb. 9. However, this will not happen immediately. Many businesses and historical landmarks on the stretch of Old World Third are named after the street, and Coggs has made a commitment to working with businesses during the transition.
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“I want to be clear, I do believe there is a balance that can be struck to find ways to preserve the branding and identifiability of Old World Third District while changing the permanent street name to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and I'm more than willing to work with various stakeholders to help achieve that,” Coggs said.
By passing the resolution without first conducting a survey from property owners and going through the Citizen Advisory Committee, the council did not follow its usual state renaming process. Alderman Jose Perez acknowledged that it is normally a costly process. “We make the laws, we can repeal the laws, we can amend the laws,” Alderman Robert Bauman said. “We do have the power to do this. There's no question about it.”
