"Change is only a good thing if you change in a good way."-Malcom X
We honor Malcolm X’s legacy as a symbol of justice, equality, and empowerment. By renaming Cottage Grove Street to Malcolm X Ave, we are not just changing a name; we are reclaiming a space for a movement that demands dignity and truth.
Legacy & Impact
The Chicago Legacy
We honor the profound impact Malcolm X had on Chicago's civil rights movement. His advocacy for justice and equality continues to inspire our community's efforts toward empowerment and social change. Malcolm X, also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz stands among the most influential African American leaders of the twentieth century.
His legacy continues to shape public thought on human dignity, justice, self-determination, moral courage, and political consciousness.
Inasmuch, in 2015, The State of Illinois has commemorated Malcolm X along with other city
and states of the nation through a Senate resolution recognizing a recurring Malcolm X Day
(May 19) observance, providing a statewide foundation for further local recognition.
The proposed action is intended as a full legal street-name change, not merely an honorary
designation. That distinction is significant. A legal renaming therefore requires a separate
ordinance-based legislative effort and a higher level of stakeholder engagement, particularly with
affected residents, businesses, alderpersons, and relevant city departments.
Why Cottage Grove Avenue
Cottage Grove Avenue is an especially appropriate site for official renaming because it is a major
South Side corridor with longstanding cultural, residential, and civic visibility.
A public designation of real consequence should be tied to a corridor that carries social and geographic
weight. Cottage Grove meets that threshold.
The proposed renaming is appropriate for several reasons.
First, Cottage Grove is highly visible and symbolically significant. An official renaming on
such a corridor would communicate seriousness of purpose.
Second, the corridor can serve as more than a roadway. It can function as a site of memory,
education, commerce, and identity.
Third, the renaming would create opportunities for corridor-wide activation, including public
history initiatives, youth programming, cultural observances, business promotions, and
annual Malcolm X Day events (as it was done for the City of Dallas, Texas).
Fourth, a Malcolm X Avenue on the South Side would be legible to both residents and
visitors as a civic statement about Black history, leadership, and public memory.
Fifth, as with the City of Dallas, Texas, a corridor study determines recommended strategies
and improvements that the City of Dallas can use to improve safety and mobility for all users
of the corridor and address resident concerns.
Community Empowerment
We mobilize community support through public forums and media campaigns, ensuring that the legacy of Malcolm X is not just remembered, but actively lived through the empowerment of our residents.