City leaders push to honor trailblazing lawyer
Minneapolis officials are moving forward with a plan to rename Edmund Boulevard after Lena Smith, Minnesota’s first Black woman lawyer. Smith was a champion for housing equality and defended African American homeowners against discriminatory real estate practices.
On August 4, the city planning commission approved the recommendation. The proposal now heads to the Minneapolis City Council for consideration. If approved, the street will be renamed Lena Smith Boulevard.
Council member Aurin Chowdhury said many residents, especially from BIPOC communities, do not want to live on a street honoring a man who worked to keep them out. “They don’t want to raise their kids on a street that honors a man who did not believe that they should be there,” she explained.
Removing a name tied to housing discrimination
Edmund Boulevard currently stretches 14 blocks. It was named after Edmund Walton, a real estate developer in the early 1900s. Walton used racially restrictive covenants to ensure the street remained exclusively for white residents.
These legal restrictions, documented by the University of Minnesota’s Mapping Prejudice project, banned the sale of homes to nonwhite buyers. Smith’s legal work directly challenged these discriminatory laws, making her name a fitting replacement.
Chowdhury described the change as “poetic justice” for families once denied the right to live there. She added that Smith’s history “has not been uplifted and made visible in the way that I think it should be.”
Balancing ethics with logistics
While the moral case for the change is strong, some residents have raised practical concerns. Updating the street’s name would require changes to signs and addresses. City officials estimate 107 residential and commercial units would be affected.
Officials have promised to provide support during the transition. Many residents believe the benefits outweigh the inconvenience.
“Although I do understand that a name change could be inconvenient, there is nothing more inconvenient than being denied the opportunity to purchase a home for your family because of the color of your skin,” said local business owner Fredrick DuBose.
Next steps for the renaming proposal
The Minneapolis City Council will review the proposal next month. A final vote could happen shortly afterward.
If approved, the renaming will not only honor Lena Smith’s legacy but also serve as a public reminder of the fight against housing segregation in Minneapolis.
