Title
Dept/ Agency: Offices of Municipal Council/City Clerk
Action: ( ) Ratifying (X) Authorizing ( ) Amending
Type of Service: Ceremonial Street Designation
Honoree: Zelma Mitchell Collins
Date(s): June 30, 2025
Official Street Name(s): Corner Intersection South 17th Street and 17th Avenue
Ceremonial Intersection Name: “Zelma Mitchell Collins Way”
Sponsor: C. Lawrence Crump, Council President
Additional Information:
The Ceremonial Street Dedication is scheduled to be held on Monday, June 30, 2025, at 1:00 P.M.
body
WHEREAS, Ordinance 6PSF-f, adopted on May 20, 2015, authorizes the designation of an intersection, etc., for honorary and ceremonial purposes; and
WHEREAS, the late Zelma Mitchell Collins began her career in the Newark Public School System at Oliver Street School in 1952, as an Elementary School teacher; and
WHEREAS, Zelma Mitchell Collins, later in the same year, became distinguish as the first Black woman to teach at South Seventeenth Street School, where she instructed a multitude of young minds for the next 17 years; and
WHEREAS, during her historic journey, Zelma Mitchell Collins, also carries the distinction of becoming the Title I Program Organizer and Vice-Principal of South Seventeenth Street School; and
WHEREAS, achieving another historic milestone, Zelma Mitchell Collins became the first Black woman to be appointed as Principal of South Seventeenth Street School in 1969; and
WHEREAS, Zelma Mitchell Collins, inaugurated and enriched the school’s curriculum through a strong program in instructional fundamentals, and provided a course study in Black History, she additionally brought a significant increase in parental involvement to the school; and
WHEREAS, under the guidance and tutelage of Zelma Mitchell Collins the school received approval for instituting a school uniform program, which received an commendation by the State of New Jersey Department of Education for achieving a rate of student attendance unsurpassed in the district; and
WHEREAS, Zelma Mitchell Collins, remained with us on Girard Place, in Newark, since 1959, until her passing, her impact on the residents of our City is still being experienced, and will continue to be realized for generations to come.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, THAT:
1. The Municipal Council does hereby authorize the honorary and ceremonial renaming of the intersection of South 17th Street and 17th Avenue as “Zelma Mitchell Collins Way”.
2. The official name of the said streets shall remain South 17th Street and 17th Avenue in their entirety.
STATEMENT
This Resolution authorizes the naming of the intersection of, South 17th Street and 17th Avenue, ”Zelma Mitchell Collins Way”, for honorary and ceremonial purposes.