Title
Resolution of the Council of the City of Hampton, Virginia, Naming the Unnamed Mercury Boulevard Bridge Leading to Fort Monroe as the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Bridge
Purpose
PURPOSE/BACKGROUND:
In 2010, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial - Hampton First Citizens Advisory Committee, a city manager's working group formed at the request of the City Council, began their work. In June 2015, the group recommended that the bridge on Mercury Boulevard (currently unnamed) be named the "Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Bridge." Earlier this month, a community petition (132 signatures) in support of the renaming was submitted to the City. Additionally, four letters of support have been submitted by the NAACP, the Aberdeen Community, Hampton University, and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).
Staff has reached out to The King Center regarding whether approval from the organization is required to use Dr. King's name in this manner. (The King Center web site materials pertaining to "intellectual property" do not provide clarity regarding infrastructure naming.) As of the date of this memorandum, staff awaits a response. As such, the resolution before you references any approvals that may be required by The King Center.
The Dr. King memorial work currently underway is also part of the citizen committee's recommendation. This work will be advanced at future Council meetings as the project progresses.
Recommendation:
Rec
Approval requested
Body
Resolution of the Council of the City of Hampton, Virginia, Naming the Unnamed Mercury Boulevard Bridge Leading to Fort Monroe as the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Bridge
Whereas, in December 2009, Hampton City Council requested that the City Manager establish a citizens working committee to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Hampton Distinguished Citizens;
Whereas, since 2010, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial - Hampton First Citizens Advisory Committee has been diligently working to develop ways to honor Dr. King’s legacy;
Whereas, Mercury Boulevard is a major thoroughfare in the City of Hampton;
Whereas, a bridge is symbolic of Dr. King’s mission to bridge divides;
Whereas, the Mercury Boulevard Bridge is a major structure that leads to Fort Monroe, a significant site that has played a vital role in American history and African American history;
Whereas, in 1619, the first Africans that were brought to English North America arrived at Old Point Comfort, the point of land that now includes Fort Monroe;
Whereas, from 1861-1865, most of Virginia became part of the Confederate States of America; however, Fort Monroe remained a Union stronghold throughout the war;
Whereas, during that time, the fort became the birthplace of the Civil War-era freedom movement when three enslaved men escaped the Confederate Army at Sewells Point and fled in a small boat to Fort Monroe. Union commander General Benjamin Butler refused to return the slaves calling them “contraband of war”; and
Whereas, General Butler’s contraband policies helped lead to the Emancipation Proclamation and earned Fort Monroe the nickname “Freedom’s Fortress” or the “Freedom Fort.”
Now, Therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of the City of Hampton, Virginia, that the unnamed Mercury Boulevard bridge leading to Fort Monroe be named the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Bridge and that the City Manager shall work with the King Center to secure any approvals that may be required before signage is installed and the name is publicized.