Bronx residents urge City Council to support
street co-naming for living civil rights activist
(From l. to r.) Father David Powers (Pastor of St Helena Catholic Church), Sheik Musa Drammeh
(Chairman NY Peace Coalition) Debra Oguamah and Dennis James urge City Council
offi cials to pass legislation to honor civil rights activist Claudette Colvin with a street conaming
ceremony. Photo by Aracelis Batista
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BRONX TIMES REPORTER, N BTR OVEMBER 1-7, 2019 3
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Advocates are calling on legislation
to be passed to honor a civil rights activist
with a street co-naming ceremony
while she is still very much alive.
Claudette Colvin, 80, a retired nurse
aide known as a pioneer of the 1950s
civil rights movement, was arrested at
the age of 15 in Montgomery, AL, after
refusing to give up her seat to a white
woman on a crowded, segregated bus.
Members of the Claudette Colvin
Committee—gathered at the No. 6
Parkchester Train Station at 177nd St.
on Monday, Oct. 28—say it’s only right
to name Unionport Road between East
Tremont and Westchester Avenue, Claudette
Colvin Plaza.
The committee has initiated a
Change.org petition, which has received
58 signatures for the street renaming.
“The whole world celebrated the courageous
act of Rosa Parks, and none can
take that away from her, however, what
the world celebrates about her, truthfully
belonged to Claudette Colvin,”
said Sheik Musa Drammeh, chairman
of the New York Peace Coalition.
Colvin was one of four plaintiffs—
along with Aurelia Browder, Susie Mc-
Donald and Mary Louise Smith—who
fi led a lawsuit against segregated bus
seating in the Browder vs. Gayle U.S.
Supreme Court case. The case was successful,
impacting public transportation
throughout the country, including
trains, airplanes and taxis.
The civil rights activist has called
Parkchester her home since 1958 and
said farewell to her Bronx community
in October. A special tribute was held in
her honor celebrating her contributions
to human rights and social justice before
she returned to Alabama.
According to Drammeh, Councilman
Rev. Ruben Diaz, Sr., submitted an
application for the approval of the street
co-naming to the City Council, but the
process has been stalled.
“The Speaker Corey Johnson was
making excuses saying that the person
has to be dead...that is not the case.
There have been at least four living individuals
in New York City given a street
co-naming,” Drammeh said. “We are
calling all of the righteous Bronxites
to stand up, especially those who live
in Community Board 9 to say enough is
enough.”
Debra Oguamah, who has lived in
Parkchester for the past 20 years, came
to show her support. “My grandmother
told me that she Colvin was not the
face for the civil rights movement. She
was not the person that they chose, but
my family never explained to me the
whole entire story,” Oguamah said.
When Oguamah received notice that
Colvin’s street co-naming was delayed,
she decided to continue advocating on
behalf of Colvin.
Oguamah and Drammeh are urging
Bronxites to sign the online petition
and send letters to local politicians,
including City Council Speaker Corey
Johnson.
“We need this co-naming and I really
feel that we’re still going to get this
co-naming regardless,” Oguamah said.
“We need to take this plight nationally
as well. We’re not trying to take
anything away from Rosa Parks or the
NAACP, but we need this to be included
in our American history.”
Workshop for the Future
St. Raymond students participate in ‘Workshop for the Future. St. Raymond High School for Boys
On Thursday, October 17, the Guidance
Departments from St. Raymond
High School for Boys and the St. Raymond
Academy for Girls held their annual
senior opportunity event for their
graduating seniors. This year’s event
was held in cooperation with Junior
Achievement of New York. Utilizing
their JA Career Success program, the
theme of the day was the ‘Workplace of
the Future.’ Through a panel discussion
and workshops the students learned
about what skills employers’ demand
from their workforce.
The panel consisted of four individuals,
three were graduates of a St. Raymond
education. The panelists were: St.
Raymond Elementary School graduate
Aaliytha Stevens, chief operating offi -
cer, SPOTCO; Lucille Crenwick, Communications
director, Social Justice
based foundation; SRHSB graduate
Merrick Lee ’04, co-founder, Cross Ave.;
and SRHSB graduate Manny Montilla
’98, founder/principal, Boogie Down
Media. Carol Sharrouf, associate director,
Programs for JA, assisted in preparing
the agenda for the day.
Following the panel discussion on
how college prepared them for their
work career, the students attended two
breakout sessions created by JA: Communication
and Confl ict Management
Skills and Know Your Personal Brand.
Each session had a short presentation
followed by a hands-on activity testing
what they learned about resolving confl
icts in the workplace and the importance
of creating a positive public image
as they build their careers.
/Change.org