Title
Honoring Elder Professor Emeritus of History Mahmoud El-Kati through Co-Naming Milton Street and Iglehart Avenue.
Body
WHEREAS, Elder Professor Mahmoud El-Kati, born October 30, 1935, in Savannah, Georgia, is a distinguished historian, educator, author, lecturer, scholar, and community elder who has devoted more than six decades to teaching African and African American history, cultivating civic consciousness, mentoring generations of young people, and advancing the intellectual and cultural life of Black communities in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and beyond; and
WHEREAS, after making Saint Paul his home in 1963, Elder El-Kati became deeply rooted in the civic and cultural life of the community, teaching Black history through the North Central Voters League and Hallie Q. Brown and later directing educational programming at The Way, while helping establish and strengthen institutions dedicated to African American history, education, cultural identity, and community development throughout the Twin Cities; and
WHEREAS, Elder El-Kati taught generations of students at Macalester College from 1970 through 2003, bringing African American history, social movements, Black cultural traditions, jazz history, and the history and politics of Black athletes into the classroom, and his profound influence as an educator and public intellectual continues through the Mahmoud El-Kati Distinguished Lectureship in American Studies, established in his honor in 2008, his designation as Professor Emeritus of History, and Macalester College’s conferral upon him of an honorary doctorate in 2022; and
WHEREAS, through his scholarship, writings, public lectures, mentorship, community education, participation in the development of African American Studies at the University of Minnesota, and lifelong insistence that knowledge be connected to community, Elder El-Kati has helped generations understand the history and contributions of people of African descent, confront the realities of racism, develop cultural pride and intellectual independence, and recognize education as an instrument of freedom, responsibility, and social transformation; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul recognizes Elder Mahmoud El-Kati as a treasured living elder whose extraordinary scholarship, teaching, mentorship, institution-building, and continuing service have left an enduring imprint upon Saint Paul and Minnesota, and family members and community supporters have committed to covering the costs associated with the fabrication, materials, labor, and installation of honorary street signage at no cost to the City;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Saint Paul hereby establishes the honorary co-naming at the intersection of Iglehart Avenue and North Milton Street as “Mahmoud El-Kati”,and that appropriate street signage will be placed by the Department of Public Works at the appropriate corners of Rondo Avenue, Marshall Avenue, and Selby Avenue.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the requester shall be responsible for all expenses associated with the honorary co-naming, including the costs of materials, fabrication, labor, installation, and any other related expenses, with such work to be coordinated and completed through the appropriate City departments and authorized parties, at no additional cost to the City of Saint Paul.