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I have been working with a neighborhood coalition, Reclaiming Edmund, to Rename Edmund Boulevard to Lena Smith Boulevard. I submitted the application to rename Edmund Boulevard in June and today the legislative process begins. Please join at the public hearing at the Planning Commission today at 4:30PM at The Public Service Center (250 S. 4th St. on the 3rd Floor). You can also send public comment to cityclerk@minneapolismn.gov.
If this passes the Planning Commission this will go through to the Business, Housing, and Zoning Committee on September 2 at 1:30pm, and then there will be a final vote by the City Council on September 11 at 9:30pm.
About the Renaming Effort:
The namesake, Edmund G. Walton (1865-1919) became the first developer in the area to apply racially restrictive covenants to the properties he sold, which introduced racial covenants as the legal way of segregating Minneapolis.
Racially restrictive housing covenants in Minneapolis that systematically excluded Black and nonwhite families from homeownership, perpetuating segregation and redlining. Racial covenants have been illegal for more than 50 years and yet they have laid the foundation for racial disparities and have had lasting impacts on the health, welfare, and economic wellbeing of people in neighborhoods across the Twin Cities metro and throughout the country.
This is not a legacy that should be celebrated nor reflective of the values of our great City of Minneapolis. Neighbors have led a grassroots effort called Reclaiming Edmund Boulevard, with the mission to those who believe in the full name change of the streets. My office has sent letters to every household on Edmund Boulevard, the coalition and I have door knocked neighbors in the area, held community events, educational events, and the coalition has conducted their efforts for nearly five years.
Through a survey process neighbors have selected Lena Smith Boulevard as the potential new name of the street.
Who is Lena Olive Smith?
Lena Olive Smith (August 13, 1885 – November 6, 1966) was the first Black woman licensed to practice law in Minnesota, admitted to the bar in 1921 soon after graduating from Northwestern College of Law (now part of Mitchell Hamline). Motivated by her earlier work as a real estate agent, where she witnessed racial housing covenants and discrimination, she dedicated her legal career to civil rights advocacy. From 1926 to 1930, she chaired the NAACP’s Legal Redress Committee in Minneapolis and made history in 1930 as the first woman elected president of the local chapter, serving through much of the 1930s.
Her most famous case came in 1931, when she represented Arthur and Edith Lee, an African American couple targeted by mobs after moving into a white neighborhood, she courageously advised them to stand their ground and even threatened to involve the governor if necessary. Smith continued practicing law actively into the 1960s, and her South Minneapolis home (at 3905 Fifth Avenue South) was designated a historic landmark in 1991 in recognition of her legal and civic leadership. Throughout her long career, she was instrumental in founding Minneapolis’s Urban League chapter and persistently used both law and public activism to challenge segregation, employment discrimination, and racial injustice across the city.
If you have any questions please reach out to me at Ward12@minneapolismn.gov
Events of Lake and Bloomington After Action Review to be presented on August 5, public comment period available.
On June 3, there was a Federal Raid on Lake & Bloomington where ICE was visibly present alongside other federal agencies such as HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, and Hennepin County Sheriffs and later the Minneapolis police department. There was a heavily militarized presence in on a corridor that is proudly known for its immigrant owned businesses and community hub. This sent concern and shockwaves throughout our community. As a result, I alongside my co-authors requested an After Action Review by the Independent City Auditor of the City's Involvement on the June 3 Federal Raid, in part to understand if the separation ordinance was breached and to get a fuller picture of what happened that day.
On August 5 at 1:30 PM at the Public Service Center 3rd Floor (250 S 4th S) we will be getting a presentation on the findings of the After Action Review and you are welcome to come and share your thoughts during the public comment period.
 Register now for the City of Minneapolis’ Trans Equity Summit Aug. 11. This year’s theme is Trans Equity and Intergenerational Power: Strengthening the Future by Honoring Our Past.
The Trans Equity Summit is a free event designed for trans and gender nonconforming community members. The day is meant to:
- Connect to resources.
- Connect with each other.
- Learn more about important issues.
2025 Trans Equity Summit: 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 11, McNamara Alumni Center, 200 Oak Street SE
Check back for more specific information about keynotes, workshops and more. The planning committee will also share up-to-date information about the schedule, speakers, workshops and accessibility on the Facebook event page.
Register now. |
