Nov. 8, 2019 (MINNEAPOLIS) Today, the City Council approved commemorative street names in posthumous honor of two African American community leaders for their outstanding contributions to the south Minneapolis community and the City of Minneapolis.

Clarissa Rogers Walker Way will be the commemorative name of Third Avenue South, between 36th Street East and 42nd Street East. Walker, who passed away in 2011, helped to make Sabathani Community Center a cornerstone community and cultural asset that supported African American youth and families in and around the Bryant Neighborhood of south Minneapolis. She’s also the mother of Neva Walker, the first African American woman elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Launa Q. Newman Way will be the commemorative name of Fourth Avenue South between 36th Street East and 42nd Street East. Newman, who passed away in 2009, was active in her community, served on the board of the Minneapolis Boy’s Club and was a member of the Woman’s Club of Minneapolis. Her husband, Cecil Newman, was the founder of the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. After his death in 1976, Launa Q. Newman served as the president and CEO of the paper for 30 years. The Spokesman-Recorder is the oldest black-owned newspaper in Minnesota, having celebrated its 85th year of service in August 2019, and one of the longest-standing, family-owned newspapers in the country.

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