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Committee approves renaming section of East 20th Street as Pastor Frank Alexander Memorial Way
Summary
The committee voted to rename a portion of East 20th Street in Martindale-Brightwood as Pastor Frank Alexander Memorial Way after community members and local organizations spoke in favor of the designation and presented documentation that petition requirements were met.
The Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee voted April 14 to rename a portion of East 20th Street in Martindale-Brightwood as Pastor Frank Alexander Memorial Way.
Committee members said the petitioners had submitted required paperwork and signatures. Councilor Ron Gibson, a sponsor of the proposal, described Pastor Frank Alexander’s decades of community work and asked the committee to approve the designation. Gibson said Alexander served as senior pastor of Oasis of Hope Baptist Church for about 40 years and led community development efforts that resulted in affordable housing and senior housing projects.
Multiple community leaders spoke in favor of the renaming. Brian Easley described Alexander’s mentoring role and called his ministry’s reach local and international. Baratte Obritte, president and CEO of the Edna Martin Christian Center, said Alexander helped lead community development efforts that align with a recently certified quality-of-life plan for Martindale-Brightwood and praised his work on neighborhood revitalization, beautification and historical preservation. Jay Nordgaard, interim COO for Edna Martin Christian Center, and Robert Hawthorne, executive director of the Hopeside Community senior center, also spoke about Alexander’s mentorship and community impact.
Speakers outlined specific accomplishments in the transcript: founding or leading community development corporations, purchasing and preserving an 85-unit apartment complex, developing a 70-unit senior housing complex, establishing youth employment and after-school programs, and international outreach on behalf of orphans. Shirley Alexander, identified in the remarks as Pastor Alexander’s widow, spoke about her husband’s legacy and thanked councilors and community members for pursuing the designation.
Councilors moved and seconded the petition; the committee approved the renaming by voice vote and recorded the motion as carried. The transcript records that signatures and other submission requirements were checked and accepted.
The portion designated runs east–west along East 20th Street from North Hillside Avenue to North Dr. Andrew J. Brown Avenue, according to the materials presented at the meeting. No implementation date for new signage or a specific funding plan was discussed at the meeting.
