Reclaiming Edmund Boulevard
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Renaming this street is an opportunity to come together as a community and make a meaningful change. Over the last few years, we gathered dozens of potential alternative names through one-on-one conversations, public events, and this website. In 2024, we assembled a naming committee to develop selection criteria and arrive at the most compelling suggested names. Now, with Councilmember Aurin Chowdhury (Ward 12), we have designed a ranked-choice survey to move from these three options down to one preferred alternative name. The three options follow.
Selecting the Alternative Name
Lena Smith Blvd
Lena Olive Smith (1885-1966) came to Minnesota from Kansas. She was a courageous civil rights leader who worked to oppose racial discrimination in housing, public accommodations, employment, and policing. An early career in real estate helped her to recognize the role of racial covenants in the segregation of Minneapolis. In 1921, Smith became the first African American woman licensed to practice law in Minnesota. In 1931, she represented Edith and Arthur Lee, a Black couple who faced an onslaught of white harassment and violence after they bought a house in a white neighborhood at 4600 Columbus Avenue. Smith also made significant contributions to local civil rights institutions. She played a key role in founding the Minneapolis chapter of the National Urban League and later served as the first female president of the Minneapolis chapter of the NAACP. In recognition of her contributions to American history, Smith’s home at 3905 Fifth Avenue South is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is particularly appropriate that a street named after a white supremacist/segregationist be changed to the name of a champion of civil rights. Smith practiced law until she died at the age of 81, in 1966.
Wakpa Tanka Blvd
Wakpa Tanka, meaning 'Great River' or 'Big River' in the Dakota language, honors the deep Indigenous connection to this land. The name reflects the proximity of Edmund Blvd to the Mississippi River and acknowledges the enduring relationship between the Dakota people and this place. Edmund Blvd and its surrounding areas are situated on traditional Dakota Homelands, which have been cared for and traveled by Indigenous peoples for generations prior to colonization and the formal naming of these spaces.
Francis Wheaton Blvd
John Francis Wheaton (1866-1922) was a gifted lawyer, statesman, politician, and a passionate advocate for civil rights. Born in Maryland, he first came to Minnesota in 1893. He completed a law degree at the University of Minnesota in a single year – the U’s first African American law graduate – and was selected “class orator.” After clerking at the state legislature and in the Minneapolis court system, he opened a private law practice and spearheaded efforts to pass civil rights legislation. In 1898, Wheaton ran for state representative in the Kenwood district of Minneapolis, which was over 99% white residents. Wheaton won and became the first African American to serve in the Minnesota state legislature. In his single term, he authored some 15 bills. The most notable of these, no doubt drawn from his own experiences with racism, was a bill amendment that was passed and signed into law requiring businesses to accommodate all members of the public, regardless of their race. He also represented Minnesota as a delegate to national political conventions in 1896 and 1900, another first for African Americans in this state. He lived in Minnesota for roughly 10 years before moving to New York.
Let’s ensure that the new name reflects our shared values and honors the diverse histories that shape our neighborhood and the broader community. The survey relies on ranked-choice voting. Your voice matters, so please take a few minutes to complete the survey linked below.
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