On this day, the country celebrates the contributions of Martin Luther King Jr. In Kansas City, the continued failure to name a street in honor of the slain civil rights leader is an affront to King's legacy nearly 51 years after his death.
City leaders have spent several months squabbling over assorted renaming plans, rejecting each one for some perceived imperfection before pushing the issue to the back burner and allowing inertia to take hold.
Where is the political will to get this done? Kansas City is one of the largest, if not the largest city in the nation to lack a prominent thoroughfare named after King. And what might have originally been viewed as an unfortunate oversight is becoming a disgraceful distinction.
Here's one not-so-original idea for city leaders to consider: Rename The Paseo to honor King and scrap the clunky compromise proposal to recast the street as Martin Luther King Jr. on The Paseo.
The Parks and Recreation Board's decision last year to reject a proposal from a group of African-American ministers to rename the street just before the 50th anniversary of King's assassination was a bad look.
Missouri Congressman Emanuel Cleaver and the ministers offered a thoughtful and workable plan. Now, the longer the debate rages on, the more embarrassing Kansas City's failure to act becomes.
"Everyone claims to care. Everyone claims to support. Everyone has an idea," said Kansas City Councilman Quinton Lucas, who introduced the MLK-Paseo naming ordinance. "But, time and time again, no one does anything and instead tells those of us who are active proponents of at least one renaming that we're wrong, corrupt, not following process or whatever the excuse of the moment is."
City Hall needs to make the renaming process a priority in 2019. Doing nothing is not acceptable. Neither is ignoring the recommendations of a citizens' committee put together by Mayor Sly James. That group suggested renaming 63rd Street, the terminal at the new Kansas City International Airport or The Paseo for the civil rights leader.
So far, the city has opted for none of the above.
Renaming The Paseo remains the most promising proposal. The street runs through the heart of the city, and The Paseo's historic ties to the African-American community make the boulevard an appealing option.
"I'll keep pushing for the Paseo because, say what you will about them, the (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) and many of our clergy, had a plan, pushed it for years, (and) hosted a rally," Lucas said. "They did something. Far more than any naysayers have done."
One way or another, the renaming process needs to be brought to a conclusion. Today, Kansas City leaders should recommit to rightly honoring Martin Luther King Jr.
