The attached petition request is for an Honorary Street Designation located at West 38th Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Montgomery Street. The petition requests the street be designated as "Rev. and Mrs. Lexcie E. Aiken Way".

According to the Public Property Naming Ordinance Section 4:1100-1108, Honorary Street Designations are temporary, lasting five years, and do not impact any addressing and mapping databases.

Reverend Aiken and his wife Mary Aiken were the pastor and first lady of St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church, located at 418 W. 38th Street for over 50 years. At St. Luke, they served their congregation, the Metropolitan community, the Carver Village community and dozens of civic organizations throughout the region. Pastor Aiken was instrumental in the growth of this community-based church. He made significant contributions to Savannah's Civil Rights Movement and led the creation of several community-supported programs such as the Wednesday, Feed-A-Meal program. 

As stated in the petition application, "Pastor Aiken is a Savannah Civil Rights Pioneer and is highly regarded by his peers in and out of the ministry. Pastor Aiken has been pastoring for more then 50 plus years and 49 of those years had been at St. Luke." The Martin Luther King Jr. Observance Day Association Inc., recognized Rev. Dr. Lexcie E. Aiken as one of the MLK 2014 Civil Rights Activists honorees. They highlighted his service as a Baptist pastor, as well as his participation in the Civil Rights Movement in Savannah. Rev. Aiken was active in protest marches spearheaded by the Savannah Branch NAACP and Hosea Williams, including sit-ins at local cafeterias, marches to the Chatham County Jail, Court House, and down West Broad Street. They also noted Rev. Aiken's integration of the Savannah Barber College and that he was was the first black Shipping Clerk at the Savannah Sugar Refinery.

The petition has strong community support with over 400 signatures.

The petition was unanimously approved by the MPC's Historic Sites and Monument Commission and has been reviewed by all impacted City agencies. 

The petition has met all the requirements set out in the Naming Ordinance.

Approval