‘This is big’: KC renames The Paseo “MLK Blvd.”

On an otherwise quiet and cold Monday morning, the voices of elated Kansas Citians singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” echoed off of the homes near 34th Street and The Paseo, where crews installed the first signs for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

The group’s rendition of the song, commonly known as the Black National Anthem, came as community leaders celebrated victory in a hard-fought battle to rename The Paseo in honor of the late civil rights leader. City Council members voted 8-4 last month in favor of the change. The Council’s approval last month came after a months-long push by religious leaders along The Paseo and the SCLC, an organization King helped found. After initial rejection by the Board of Parks and Recreation, which has jurisdiction over the city’s boulevards, the group attempted to gather enough signatures to put the renaming to a vote.

Finally, despite opposition by some council members who didn’t believe residents who live on The Paseo were properly consulted, the group found the support to get it passed.

Over the next months, the city will replace the remaining signs on The Paseo and advise residents who live on the boulevard on changing their addresses and other important documents to reflect the new name.