Life on MLK Part One
A stop sign is pictured at NE 17th and Martin Luther King Avenue in Oklahoma City, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2010. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman
It is popular for communities across the nation to immortalize the legendary civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by naming a street in his honor.
It might be a boulevard, a drive or avenue.
In Allentown, Pa., it is Martin Luther King Drive. In Baltimore, Md., it is a boulevard. In Louisville, Ky., it is an expressway.
In Oklahoma City, it is Martin Luther King Avenue. Commonly mistaken for a boulevard, it quietly begins around Wilshire Boulevard and runs straight south to 1-40, where it ends as quickly as it began.
MLK is lined with all kinds of life from schools to homes to abandoned buildings. The Freedom Center, 2609 N. Martin Luther King Ave., symbolizes its civil rights roots.
The name change of Oklahoma City’s Eastern Ave. to Martin Luther King Ave. in 1985 was not immune to controversy.
But for Devin Richardson who grew up in the neighborhood, the change was important to the community that surrounds it.
“I think it meant a lot, because you’re remembering one of our big, historical black leaders,” she said.
Two months ago, I began exploring the avenue for evidence of Dr. King’s dream. For the next week, and periodically throughout the month the February, Black History Month, I will be sharing the stories of people who live and work along MLK.
Check back often at Alternate Crop and here for updates as this story continues to grow.
The Freedom Center is pictured on Martin Luther King Avenue in Oklahoma City, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2010. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman
Douglass High School is pictured at 900 Martin Luther King Ave., in Oklahoma City, Monday, Jan. 11, 2010. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman
A shop is pictured at 1300 Martin Luther King Ave., is pictured in Oklahoma City, Monday, Jan. 11, 2010. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman
Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, 2100 Martin Luther King Ave., is pictured in Oklahoma City, Monday, Jan. 11, 2010. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman
Members of Israelite Church of God in Christ preach on the corner of Martin Luther King Avenue and 23rd Street in Oklahoma City, Monday, Jan. 11, 20010. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman
Click here for more on Martin Luther King Avenue in Oklahoma City.
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