King street dedicated after yearlong battle - Martin Luther King, Jr.; street in Americus, Georgia - Brief Article

Jet, Feb 1, 1993

After a yearlong battle of bitter demonstrations and counter-demonstrations between Black and White residents of Americus, Ga., they finally have a stretch of highway bearing the name of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

City Council members voted 4-3 to rename the section of highway that runs through the city.

When Black leaders first proposed naming the street after Dr. King, the assistant fire chief suggested that a portion of the road be named after King's assassin, James Earl Ray.

For a number of Blacks the struggle dramatized how far they still have to travel on the road to equality.

The naming ceremony took place on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the southwestern Georgia town at JET Press time. Now a stretch of U.S. 19 bears the name of the civil rights leader.