BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown announced that he is offering his full support for “Black Lives Matter Way,” along Fillmore Avenue.
Mayor Brown said, “As we re-examine the history of our nation through the lens of its impact on Black residents first as a result of slavery, then through the passage of segregationist Jim Crow laws, and now with recognition of the injustices that have been built into the criminal justice system; it is fitting that a street’s name honoring a prominent Buffalo figure changed in this way to reconcile his mixed legacy with our greater racial awareness. It is also appropriate that this street, which has played a vital role in the development and life of Buffalo’s Black community, be identified in a way that honors the contributions, struggles and impact Black residents have had on the social, cultural, intellectual, and economic life of our City.”
The resolution went into effect Tuesday afternoon.
The decision came after Buffalo Common Councilman Darius Pridgen received a letter from a 17-year-old Frederick Law Olmsted School student suggesting young people in Buffalo paint "Black Lives Matter" on a street.
Mekhi Edwards wrote to Pridgen following protests at the end of May in Buffalo and across the country in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
