GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Street signs in Grand Rapids honoring two civil rights pioneers, one who died 50 years ago Wednesday, need to be replaced.
Many of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. signs up and down Division Avenue are not readable as time and the elements have worn away their lettering. The signs along Grandville Avenue honoring Cesar E. Chavez are in better shape that many of the MLK signs, but are still in need of replacement.
The commemorative designations are meant to serve as a visible reminder of King and Chavez's legacies.
“When they are up, they remind you that you have a place in this city," Grand Rapid Community Relations Commission Chair Tommy Allen said.
But it's hard to honor those legacies with a faded sign.
“We don't like to see faded signs because of the message it might send to the community," Allen said. “And we don't want that to be the dominant narrative for Grand Rapids because we know there are a lot of people out there working to change that narrative.”
So the city's Community Relations Commission has agreed to boost a fundraising campaign that began about a year ago to pay for the new signs.
Full story: WOOD TV