Kansas City renames roadway for Martin Luther King Jr.

By iNFOTEL
February 26 2019 12:21 PM

CP987754472 — In this Monday, Feb. 25, 2019 photo, DeAnthony Jackson installs the first new Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard street sign, at 34th Street and The Paseo, in Kansas City, Mo. The City Council voted last month to rename a 10-mile stretch of The Paseo after the civil rights leader. (Tammy Ljungblad/The Kansas City Star via AP)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kansas City has shed its reputation as one of the largest cities in the U.S. without a public memorial to Martin Luther King Jr.

The city on Monday installed the first signs along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

After an often contentious debate, the City Council voted last month to rename a 10-mile (16-kilometre) stretch of a local roadway after the civil rights leader.

The Kansas City Star reports the change came after a push by religious leaders and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization King helped found.

The delay was caused by some council members who didn’t believe residents and businesses along Paseo Boulevard had been properly consulted about changing the name of the section of the roadway, known locally as The Paseo.

The city will replace the remaining signs over the next few months.

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Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com