Put on the Map: U.S. Street Signs Named After Black Legends

A look at famous Blacks who have been honored on the map.

U.S. Streets Named After Famous Black Figures - Cities around the country have named street signs after prominent Blacks in celebration of their legacy. Take a look at several icons that have been honored this way. – Natelege Whaley  (@nateiege) (Photo: Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Getty Images)

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U.S. Streets Named After Famous Black Figures - Cities around the country have named street signs after prominent Blacks in celebration of their legacy. Take a look at several icons that have been honored this way. – Natelege Whaley  (@nateiege) (Photo: Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Getty Images)

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W.E.B. DuBois Avenue, Harlem - Bradhurst Avenue in Harlem, New York, was renamed “W.E.B. DuBois Avenue” in 2009. DuBois was one of many intellectuals who supported the Harlem Renaissance.  (Photo: Keystone/Getty Images)

Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Atlanta - There are more than 650 streets named after Martin Luther King Jr. in America. MLK Jr. Drive in King's hometown of Atlanta borders the Atlanta University Center, where his alma mater Morehouse College is located. (Photos from left: Richard Sheinwald /Landov, REUTERS/Rebecca Cook)

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Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Atlanta - There are more than 650 streets named after Martin Luther King Jr. in America. MLK Jr. Drive in King's hometown of Atlanta borders the Atlanta University Center, where his alma mater Morehouse College is located. (Photos from left: Richard Sheinwald /Landov, REUTERS/Rebecca Cook)

Detroit Residents Want to Turn Malcolm X’s House Into Landmark - A high school in Pennsylvania cancels a Trayvon Martin-themed day after parents complain; Georgia police kill diabetic man after family calls for a paramedic, plus more news. —Natelege Whaley  A group of suburban Detroit residents known as Project: WE Hope, Dream and Believe are leading the effort to get the former 1950s home of Malcolm X restored and designated as a historic landmark. The organization hopes to house memorabilia and have the property opened for tours.(Photo: Terry Disney/Getty Images)

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Malcolm X Boulevard, Harlem - In 1987, New York mayor Ed Koch proclaimed Lenox Avenue in Harlem, New York, “Malcolm X Boulevard.” The neighborhood was the activist’s old stomping grounds before he was killed. Brooklyn, New York, and Dallas also have streets renamed after Malcolm. (Photo: Terry Disney/Getty Images)

Rosa Parks Boulevard, Detroit - In 1976, Detroit renamed 12th Street "Rosa L. Parks Boulevard." After Parks left Montgomery, Alabama, she moved to the city, where she died on Oct. 24, 2005.   (Photos from left: Photo12/UIG/Getty Images, REUTERS/Rebecca Cook)

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Rosa Parks Boulevard, Detroit - In 1976, Detroit renamed 12th Street "Rosa L. Parks Boulevard." After Parks left Montgomery, Alabama, she moved to the city, where she died on Oct. 24, 2005.   (Photos from left: Photo12/UIG/Getty Images, REUTERS/Rebecca Cook)

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Oprah Winfrey Way, Chicago - “Oprah Winfrey Way” was the name given to the street in front of the media executive’s Harpo Studios in 2011.(Photos from left: Ethan Miller/Getty Images, Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

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Oprah Winfrey Way, Chicago - “Oprah Winfrey Way” was the name given to the street in front of the media executive’s Harpo Studios in 2011.(Photos from left: Ethan Miller/Getty Images, Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Bob Marley - Nesta Robert Marley had a poor but idyllic childhood in Trench Town, Jamaica, before he brought reggae to the world. But the singer, who died at age 36, didn't live to see how influential — and profitable — his music would eventually become. Marley is arguable as relevant today as he was 20 years ago, and his legacy lives on through his talented children.  (Photo: Michael Putland/Getty Images)

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Bob Marley Boulevard, Brooklyn - Church Avenue from Remsen Avenue to 98th Street in Brooklyn, New York, was renamed “Bob Marley Boulevard” in 2006. Caribbean residents in the area were proud to honor the Jamaican-born reggae legend in their neighborhood. (Photo: Michael Putland/Getty Images)

Sam Cooke Way, Chicago - A segment of 36th Street in Chicago was named after the late soul singer Sam Cooke in 2011. He was born in Mississippi but grew up in the Windy City.  (Photo: GAB Archive/Redferns)

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Sam Cooke Way, Chicago - A segment of 36th Street in Chicago was named after the late soul singer Sam Cooke in 2011. He was born in Mississippi but grew up in the Windy City.  (Photo: GAB Archive/Redferns)

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Muhammad Ali Boulevard, Louisville, Kentucky - Muhammad Ali’s hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, voted to rename its Walnut Street after the iconic boxer in 1978.  (Photo: EMPICS /Landov)

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Jackie Robinson Parkway, New York - In 1997, the Interboro Parkway was renamed after Jackie Robinson, the former legendary Brooklyn Dodgers player. The highway runs from Queens to Brooklyn, New York.(Photo: Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images) 

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Jimi Hendrix - Rock phenom Jimi Hendrix was brought to life on the big screen during 2013's Toronto International Film Festival in the biopic All Is by My Side. OutKast's funky half, André Benjamin (a.k.a. Andre 3000), played the lead role. While the general public has expressed satisfaction in the casting selection, Hendrix's estate has not signed on to officially endorse the film's production: "Expereince Hendrix, LLC, the family-owned company entrusted with safeguarding the legacy of Jimi Hendrix ... has made it known many times in the past that no such film, were it to include original music or copyrights created by Jimi Hendrix, can be undertaken without its full participation," reads a statement released by Hendrix's estate.(Photo: David Montgomery/Getty Images)

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Jimi Hendrix Way, Bellingham, Washington - The street named after the famed guitarist Jimi Hendrix is located in a city about 90 miles from his birthplace in Seattle. (Photo: David Montgomery/Getty Images)

Robert Griffin III Boulevard, Copperas Cove, Texas - At the age of 23, NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III was honored with a boulevard named after him in his hometown of Copperas Cove, Texas, in 2013. (Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

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Robert Griffin III Boulevard, Copperas Cove, Texas - At the age of 23, NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III was honored with a boulevard named after him in his hometown of Copperas Cove, Texas, in 2013. (Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)