President Obama now has a permanent mark on the landscape of Los Angeles, as city officials unveiled a stretch of road named after the 44th president of the United States on Saturday. NBC 4 reported that a 3.5 mile stretch of Rodeo Boulevard was named "Obama Boulevard" Saturday at a ceremony that included a concert, but it was not attended by the former president himself. ADVERTISEMENT City Council President Herb Wesson said in a statement that the location was geographically significant as it was located near the site of one of the former president's campaign rallies in 2007. "With this change, we are publicly documenting what Obama's legacy as our nation's first black President means to our city and our South Los Angeles community," Wesson said in a statement obtained by NBC 4. "For every child who will drive down this street and see the President's name, this will serve as a physical reminder that no goal is out of reach and that no dream is too big," he added. The road intersects with other another street named after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as well as the city's "Presidential Row" of streets named after former presidents including Washington, Jefferson, and Adams.<doc-sep>LOS ANGELES -- A stretch of road in Los Angeles has been renamed after former U.S. President Barack Obama. A concert and ceremony Saturday unveiled Obama Boulevard. The street replaced Rodeo Road, a 3 1/2-mile street that runs across the city's historic black neighbourhood. It also intersects with Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and further establishes a "presidential row" that includes Washington, Adams and Jefferson boulevards. "I get to live in a lifetime where we elected our first black president," The Rev. Russell Thornhill of South Los Angeles told the KABC television station. "I get to share that with my mother, who's 92 years old who voted and actually went to the inauguration. I called her before I came here to let her know what I was doing, and she was just in tears because she was seeing in her lifetime ... the naming of a street of the first black president in this community." Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti noted at Saturday's ceremony that Obama Boulevard is in a section of the city that has a number of other streets named after presidents, the Los Angeles Times reported. "As we drive through this city and we see past presidents on Adams, on Washington, on Jefferson, now we'll have one that was in our lifetime, who was a president for everybody: Barack Hussein Obama," Garcetti said. A couple who proposed the name change told the Times they wanted to raise the profile of the road, attract more funding for the Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw neighbourhood and honour the 44th president. "With this change, we are publicly documenting what Obama's legacy as our nation's first black President means to our city and our South Los Angeles community," City Council President Herb Wesson said in a statement. "For every child who will drive down this street and see the President's name, this will serve as a physical reminder that no goal is out of reach and that no dream is too big." While residents were receptive to having a street named after Obama, some believed organizers should have chosen a more prominent street. Wesson argued Rodeo Road was symbolically important: The road is home to Rancho Cienega Sports Complex, where Obama held a campaign rally when he was running for president in 2007. For decades, discriminatory practices, including the use of racially restrictive covenants on deeds to keep people of colour from buying homes, kept the area off-limits to non-whites. After the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed housing discrimination, and segregation was scaled back, black residents moved into the formerly white enclave of Baldwin Hills and established the first of L.A.'s black middle- and upper-class neighbourhoods. Black-owned businesses and cultural activities once thrived on Crenshaw Boulevard. But over the years, they struggled and there are ongoing efforts to revitalize the commercial corridor. Earl Ofari Hutchinson, a political analyst and author who has lived in the area for 50 years, said he hopes the name change will lead to more investments in the neighbourhood. "The area needs not just street name change, but also fresh programs, initiatives and spending on jobs, education, and housing programs for the mostly black and Hispanic low-income residents that live on or near Obama Boulevard," Hutchinson said. "This will truly be the greatest way to pay tribute to Obama."<doc-sep>A 3.5-mile stretch of road in one of Los Angeles’ most iconic black neighborhoods was renamed “Obama Boulevard” on Saturday in recognition of the former president’s ties to the city. The strip, previously named Rodeo Road, is home to Rancho Cienega Park — the venue where Obama held his first campaign rally more than 12 years ago shortly after announcing his candidacy in February 2007. Obama also studied at Occidental College, located north of downtown Los Angeles, from 1979 to 1981, according to the motion filed by the city’s Council President Herb Wesson to rename the street. In a statement on his website, Wesson called the renaming a way to “ensure that America’s 44th President’s legacy is shared for generations to come for Angelenos and visitors alike.” This is not the first time a name change has been made in Los Angeles to honor Obama. Last year, a portion of 134 Freeway, located near the former president’s alma mater, was designated the President Barack H. Obama Highway. The newly christened street joins the city’s President’s Row, which already includes George Washington Boulevard, John Adams Boulevard and Thomas Jefferson Boulevard. Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. Please enter a valid email address. * The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. Please attempt to sign up again. Sign Up Now An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Please try again later. Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME. You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thank you! For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder. Write to Hillary Leung at hillary.leung@time.com.<doc-sep>
Former President Barack Obama now has a second stretch of roadway named for him in Los Angeles. On Saturday, thousands gathered for the renaming of Rodeo Road to "President Barack Obama Boulevard," a 3.5-mile street that runs through the historically black Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw neighborhood. The former president was not in attendance as onlookers celebrated his legacy at a spot where he held a presidential campaign rally in 2007, the Los Angeles Times reported. OBAMA TOOK TRUMP'S WIN AS A PERSONAL INSULT, BOOK SAYS “As we drive through this city and we see past presidents on Adams, on Washington, on Jefferson and now we’ll have one that was in our lifetime, who was a president for everybody: Barack Hussein Obama,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said, according to the Times. Obama Boulevard intersects with “Presidents Row,” a collection of streets named after former presidents George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The stretch of Rodeo Road -- not to be confused with Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills -- was the second roadway in Los Angeles to be renamed after Obama. Part of Highway 134 near Occidental College – where Obama was briefly enrolled – was renamed last year as President Barack H. Obama Highway. The former president has been a frequent presence in Southern California in recent years. In a Beverly Hills fundraiser last year, he chided “the other side” of the political divide for being “angry all the time.” In the lead-up to the 2018 midterm elections, he rallied support for Democratic candidates during a speech in Anaheim.