Mesa honors MLK with new street sign, parade
Jan 20, 2014, 7:41 AM | Updated: 10:27 am
MESA, Ariz. — Monday marks a landmark day for one intersection in Mesa.
At 10:45 a.m., just prior to the city’s Martin Luther King, Jr. parade, a new street sign will be unveiled, renaming Third Place, between Center Street and Centennial Way, to Martin Luther King, Jr. Way.
John Goodie with the Mesa MLK Committee said this is a historic day in a city where voters repealed the city holiday in 1992, before approving it again in 1996.
“For a city that struggled to pass the holiday, to come full circle is priceless,” Goodie said. “Dr. King had a vision of where we are today. We’ve gotten better. We’re not there yet, [but] it’s moving in the right direction.”
The East Valley Tribune also reported that the area
used to be home to a segregated park and swimming pool for the community’s
black, Native American and Latino residents.
In 1953, residents formed the Better Community Council to eliminate segregation
at public facilities and restaurants. The committee’s efforts led to integration
of the pool.
The Mesa MLK Parade will be held from 11 a.m. to noon, followed by a festival from noon-4 p.m. at the Mesa Arts Center.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
