Killingsworth post office to take MLK name
PORTLAND, Ore. – Even while the post offices are closed in observance of Martin Luther King Jr., a U.S. post office in Northeast Portland is taking his name.
Come February, the U.S. Postal Service office at 630 N.E. Killingsworth Ave. officially will become the "Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Post Office."
"We're working on an official renaming ceremony now," said Hillary Barbour, a spokesperson for the Congressman that helped push the name change into law. The date of the renaming ceremony has yet to be determined, though it likely will fall in February.
The name change is the culmination of work started by two local letter carriers, Jamie Partridge and Isham Harris. Patridge and Harris began collecting signatures in 2007 from post office workers who supported the change. The carriers also rallied support from the Piedmont and Concordia Neighborhood Associations, and the Sabin Community Association.
A renaming bill introduced by Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) passed the U.S. House Nov. 16. The bill reportedly was supported by every member of the Oregon delegation, in both the House and the U.S. Senate.
The bill was signed into law by President Barrack Obama on Nov. 30. It became Public Law 111-111.
"Naming the post office after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will serve as a daily reminder of his work and the work that continues to make America a more just nation," said Congressman Blumenauer in a prepared statement. "For me, it is an honor to finish the grassroots effort that began two years ago."