Cuomo signs bill renaming bridge between Pelham-Mount Vernon to honor MLK and Michael Schwerner
The crossing over the Hutchinson River Parkway was renamed the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – Michael Henry Schwerner Memorial Bridge.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation Wednesday that named a bridge connecting Pelham and Mount Vernon after civil rights leader Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and and murdered Pelham activist Michael Schwerner. Previously known as the Third Street Bridge, the crossing was officially renamed the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – Michael Henry Schwerner Memorial Bridge.
“Civil rights icons Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Michael Henry Schwerner gave much to the cause of justice in America, and it’s appropriate that we honor their memory here in New York,” Cuomo said. “Thanks to this legislation, the new name of this bridge will remind residents of Westchester and travelers across the state of the contributions of these two activists.”
Michael Schwerner lived and graduated high school in Pelham before becoming a civil rights activist in Manhattan and eventually Mississippi. He was murdered with two other Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) members by the Ku Klux Klan in 1964.
Oliver is a graduate of the Pelham Memorial High School class of 2022. He has been working with the Pelham Examiner since August of 2019 and looks forward...
Gregory Nespole • Aug 2, 2021 at 7:17 pm
That is wonderful news. Sadly, our Pelham kids don’t know enough about Michael and his sacrifice. Hopefully, the naming ceremony will serve as a educational experience and a somber reminder that we still have along way to go in this country to guarantee, secure, and protect equal rights. Well reported.