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.
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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 un...
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