Number
210464
Version
ORIGINAL
Reference
Sponsor
THE PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE
Title
Resolution approving the name change of Lindbergh Park to Lucille Berrien Park by Milwaukee County, in the 6th Aldermanic District.
Analysis
This resolution provides City of Milwaukee approval for the renaming of Lindbergh Park to Lucille Berrien Park by Milwaukee County, in the 6th Aldermanic District.
Body
Whereas, Lindbergh Park is located near North 16th and West Nash Streets in the Arlington Heights neighborhood in the 6th Aldermanic District; and
Whereas, The park was conveyed to Milwaukee County by the City of Milwaukee in 1936 and included in the property deed is a provision that the park “shall bear the name, to wit: Lindbergh Park” which provision was revised in 2001 by an Amendment to Park Deed Restrictions, recorded on title with the Milwaukee County Register of Deeds Office as Document No. 8338227 on August 28, 2002, to require City approval via adoption of a resolution of only substantial name changes to Lindbergh Park; and
Whereas, The park is named after Charles Lindbergh, an American aviator who rose to prominence for making the first solo, non-stop flight between New York City and Paris and who briefly attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and
Whereas, Throughout his military career, Lindbergh was also known for his anti-interventionist position during World War II and a 1939 article in Readers Digest, in which he argued, amongst other anti-integration positions, for the preservation of the white race and denounced “dilution by foreign races”; and
Whereas, As part of his anti-interventionist sentiments, Lindbergh also made anti-Semitic statements that blamed U.S. involvement in World War II on Jewish people and claimed they were misleading the American public at the severity of Nazi Germany; and
Whereas, The City of Milwaukee joins with Milwaukee County in its commitment to ensure that its monuments, including its parks, are named after those individuals or communities that represent our highest and best values and the City’s dedication to racial equity; and
Whereas, The Milwaukee County Board on June 24, 2021, approved changing the name of Lindbergh Park to Lucille Berrien Park; and
Whereas, Lucille Berrien is a prominent and highly regarded individual in Milwaukee by her neighbors, colleagues, friends, and family; and
Whereas, Berrien was a supporter of the Open Housing movement in Milwaukee beginning in 1962, aiming to eliminate segregation, and an activist for supportive welfare programs and participated in the Welfare Mother’s March; and
Whereas, Other Milwaukeeans looked up to Berrien and she held a captive audience of other activists, inspiring them with speeches and demonstrations, including after the Kent State shooting and police brutality incidents; and
Whereas, Berrien was the first Black woman to run for Milwaukee mayor and, although her run was not successful, she helped other Black woman ascend to elected positions as an organizer for Shirley Chisholm’s 1972 campaign for the Democratic presidential nominee; and
Whereas, Berrien is a life-long activist; she has been on the Legal Action of Wisconsin Board of Directors for over 40 years, the Black Health Coalition Board of Directors; and she has fostered over 120 children in her lifetime; and
Whereas, The Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, with the support of Lucille Berrien, circulated a petition requesting the name of the park be changed to Lucille Berrien Park to honor her activism, leadership, and prior residency near the location of the park and, according to reports from the alliance, 60 percent of residents in the area support the name change; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, By the Common Council of the City of Milwaukee, that the renaming of Lindbergh Park to Lucille Berrien Park by Milwaukee County is approved.
Drafter
DCD:Mary.Schanning:mls
07/07/21/A