After a lengthy process, the efforts of resident Kevin Ellis and State Rep. Hardy Billington are coming to fruition. Pine Street in Poplar Bluff will be dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr. at noon on Saturday, Feb. 10 at the Butler County Courthouse.
“It started four to five years ago,” Ellis remembered.
He worked with a team of petitioners and the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The team contacted the governor and city council to make their dream a reality.
The measure was sent to the state legislature but never made it to the floor, according to Ellis. He managed to get into contact with Billington, who agreed to introduce the bill.
Billington described the process as a team effort.
“I love to help people in my community,” he affirmed.
Ellis described him as a great partner in this effort. The bill passed in the House and moved to the Senate. After some changes, the measure returned to the House, Billington stated.
Ellis recounted the effort took approximately one year after contacting Billington. He speculated the process would have been shorter had the legislature not gone out of session.
Both Ellis and Billington expressed admiration for MLK Jr. and his legacy. This esteem bolstered the collective effort to influence policymakers.
City Manager Matt Winters clarified Pine Street’s name will remain unchanged but will be dedicated to MLK Jr. in a memorial status.
Ellis said the Missouri Department of Transportation and local donors equally split the funding for the new signs, which are already in place on either side of the Black River bridge at Pine Street.
“We had quite a bit of support,” he confirmed.
The Feb. 10 event will consist of a march originating at the corner of B Street and West Pine and finishing at the courthouse. Michele Webb, president of the Butler County NAACP, will give a speech along with Spencer Jones, Billington and Springfield NAACP President Kai Sutton.