A City of Jackson street has been renamed for a late City Councilmember, educator and community advocate. At the Tuesday, Sept. 24 meeting, the Jackson City Council unanimously approved a resolution to change the name of the Milwaukee Street to Carl Breeding Way in honor of Carl Breeding.
Carl Breeding (1932-2012) was a community leader who represented the City’s First Ward on the Jackson City Council from 1997 to 2012. He also served as Vice Mayor at the time of his passing in 2012. In addition to a 28 year career as a math teacher at Jackson High School, Breeding was a member of Jackson’s Human Relations Commission and served as the president of the Michigan NAACP and vice president of the national NAACP. He was an advocate for the permanent renaming of Francis Street for Martin Luther King Jr., which happened after his death in 2019.
Milwaukee Street is a residential street on Jackson’s south side. The entire length of the one mile street has been renamed from Alpine Drive to E. South Street. Carl Breeding resided on this street during his time as a City Councilmember.
“Mr. Breeding is deserving of this recognition. I appreciate the vote and I think it’s an awesome thing to give him more accolades in the City,” said current First Ward City Councilmember Arlene Robinson.
Efforts to rename Milwaukee for Carl Breeding began with a public hearing on Sept. 12. The City of Jackson proposed the renaming to commemorate the life of Carl Breeding and his work to fight for racial equality and social justice. The renaming will also permanently recognize Breeding’s legacy in the City of Jackson, along with ensuring he serves as an example for others to continue his work in the community.
“It’s personal to me that we honor those who came before us. I thank the council for the support for renaming the street. I know how meaningful this will be for the community and the impact that it will have for years to come,” said Mayor Daniel Mahoney.
The City Charter allows the City Council to rename streets following a public hearing and a super majority of affirmative votes from the council. Residents along the new Carl Breeding Way will be notified of the name change by mail. The Department of Public Works has begun the process of replacing street signs at 15 intersections to reflect the new name. Local emergency services, Consumers Energy, State of Michigan, Jackson County and Jackson Public Schools will also be notified of the change.