Some streets will have new names in Benton Harbor following action by city commissioners this week. At a Monday meeting, they approved changing part of Colfax Avenue to be named “Anne Haire Way.” Mayor Marcus Muhammad proposed the idea in his State of the City address this month, noting Anne Haire was part of the beginning of Affirmative Action at Whirlpool and was the eldest African American homeowner on Colfax for more than a half century.
“Her legacy and work in the city of Benton Harbor, countless efforts,” Muhammad said. “That family and what they brought to the city of Benton Harbor, national acclaim, we are grateful.”
Also this week, commissioners renamed Waukonda Avenue from Paw Paw Avenue to North Winans Street in honor of Will Branscumb.
“What we know as Waukonda Avenue will be Will Branscumb Way.”
Will Branscumb was a local civil rights leader who marched with Dr. Marrtin Luther King, Jr. He also served as a local NAACP president and on the civil service board. In addition to having a street named in his honor, Muhammad in his speech declared February 28 Will Branscumb Day.
