Minneapolis is on the verge of making history once again. City officials are advancing a proposal to rename Edmund Boulevard in honor of Lena Smith, Minnesota’s first Black woman lawyer and a trailblazer in the fight for racial justice and housing equality.
The Minneapolis City Planning Commission approved the recommendation on August 4, 2025, moving the proposal to the City Council for a final vote expected next month.
If approved, the 14-block stretch currently known as Edmund Boulevard would be renamed Lena Smith Boulevard, paying tribute to a civil rights icon who once legally battled housing discrimination in the very neighborhoods that sought to exclude people of color.
A Street Name Rooted in Exclusion
Edmund Boulevard is currently named after Edmund Walton, a prominent real estate developer in the early 1900s. Walton is widely known for implementing racially restrictive covenants—legal tools used to bar nonwhite individuals from purchasing property in designated areas. His developments, including the one bearing his name, were explicitly created for white residents only.
The University of Minnesota’s Mapping Prejudice project confirmed Walton’s use of racially exclusive housing covenants to enforce segregation in Minneapolis. These covenants, now illegal, have had lasting effects on the city’s housing landscape and continue to shape its racial geography.
“We have neighbors who are a part of the BIPOC community that live on Edmund Boulevard, and they don’t want to raise their kids on a street that honors a man who did not believe that they should be there,” explained City Council member Aurin Chowdhury.
Lena Smith: A Legacy of Resistance
Lena Olive Smith was admitted to the Minnesota Bar in 1921 and was the only Black woman lawyer in the state for many years.
As an attorney and NAACP leader, Smith dedicated her career to fighting racism, particularly in housing. She defended African American homeowners who defied restrictive covenants and helped them retain their properties despite widespread discrimination.
Chowdhury called the proposed renaming “poetic justice,” stating:
“Her contributions in addressing the systemic and racial disparities of segregation was kind of a perfect one-to-one, and also her history is one that I feel like has not been uplifted and made visible in the way that I think it should be.”
Community Reaction: Balancing Logistics and Legacy
While there’s broad support for honoring Smith’s legacy, some residents have raised concerns about the logistical challenges of renaming the street. Minneapolis officials confirmed that the change would impact 107 residential and commercial units, requiring updates to mailing addresses, signage, and other administrative records.
However, many residents believe the symbolic value outweighs the inconvenience.
“Although I do understand that a name change could be inconvenient, there is nothing more inconvenient than being denied the opportunity to purchase a home for your family because of the color of your skin,” said local business owner Fredrick DuBose.
City officials assured residents that support services and transition plans would be in place to minimize disruption. Chowdhury and other advocates argue that these short-term inconveniences are a small price to pay for righting a historic wrong.
What Comes Next
The Minneapolis City Council is expected to hear the proposal next month. If the measure is approved, the renaming of Edmund Boulevard to Lena Smith Boulevard could be finalized before the end of the year, marking a significant moment in the city’s ongoing effort to confront its legacy of racial exclusion and uplift underrecognized civil rights heroes.
“We’re not just changing a name—we’re telling the truth about our city’s past and lifting up those who fought for justice,” Chowdhury said.
