{"id":73354,"date":"2025-11-13T15:00:20","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T21:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mhsldev.wpenginepowered.com\/news\/?p=73328"},"modified":"2026-01-16T15:54:30","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T21:54:30","slug":"marking-a-milestone-lena-smith-blvd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/2025\/11\/13\/marking-a-milestone-lena-smith-blvd\/","title":{"rendered":"Marking a milestone: Lena Smith Blvd"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_73384\" style=\"width: 239px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-73384\" class=\"size-full wp-image-73384\" src=\"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/LenaOSmith-in-suit_from-AnnJuergens.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"229\" height=\"298\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-73384\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lena Olive Smith \u201921<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Edmund Boulevard in Minneapolis was recently renamed Lena Smith Boulevard during an unveiling ceremony at the 36th Street intersection.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lena Olive Smith \u201921<\/strong> was a civil rights activist and the first Black woman attorney in Minnesota who dedicated her life and career fighting discrimination, including housing discrimination. Her most famous case was\u00a0in 1931 representing the Lees,\u00a0a Black family who was terrorized by white mobs for buying a home a that crossed the color line at 4600 Columbus Avenue in Minneapolis. Smith was the president of the NAACP at that time.<\/p>\n<p>The street\u2019s former namesake, Edmund Walton, was a prominent real estate developer who introduced redlining and racial covenants that blocked African American families from moving into white neighborhoods\u00a0in Minneapolis.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 33%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div data-carousel-extra='{\"blog_id\":12,\"permalink\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mitchellhamline.edu\\\/news\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/13\\\/marking-a-milestone-lena-smith-blvd\\\/\"}' id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-73354 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-full'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/2025\/11\/13\/marking-a-milestone-lena-smith-blvd\/eric-janus-and-ann-juergens\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"73385\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/Eric-Janus-and-Ann-Juergens.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2485,1864\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 13 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1761996989&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;5.7&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;50&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000634920634921&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;keywords&quot;:&quot;Array&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Eric Janus and Ann Juergens\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/Eric-Janus-and-Ann-Juergens-300x225.jpeg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/Eric-Janus-and-Ann-Juergens-1024x768.jpeg\" width=\"2485\" height=\"1864\" src=\"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/Eric-Janus-and-Ann-Juergens.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-73385\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/Eric-Janus-and-Ann-Juergens.jpeg 2485w, https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/Eric-Janus-and-Ann-Juergens-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/Eric-Janus-and-Ann-Juergens-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/Eric-Janus-and-Ann-Juergens-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/Eric-Janus-and-Ann-Juergens-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/Eric-Janus-and-Ann-Juergens-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2485px) 100vw, 2485px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-73385'>\n\t\t\t\tProfessor Emerita Ann Juergens and former Mitchell Hamline President Eric Janus\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/2025\/11\/13\/marking-a-milestone-lena-smith-blvd\/img_1209_cropped\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"73386\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/IMG_1209_cropped-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 16 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1761996626&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;15.6599998474&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;64&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0031847133758&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;keywords&quot;:&quot;Array&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"IMG_1209_cropped\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/IMG_1209_cropped-300x225.jpeg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/IMG_1209_cropped-1024x768.jpeg\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" src=\"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/IMG_1209_cropped-scaled.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-73386\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/IMG_1209_cropped-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/IMG_1209_cropped-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/IMG_1209_cropped-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/IMG_1209_cropped-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/IMG_1209_cropped-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/IMG_1209_cropped-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-73386'>\n\t\t\t\tMinneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/2025\/11\/13\/marking-a-milestone-lena-smith-blvd\/img_1194\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"73387\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/IMG_1194-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.78&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 16 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1761995243&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;6.76499986565&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;80&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00167224080268&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;keywords&quot;:&quot;Array&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"IMG_1194\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/IMG_1194-300x225.jpeg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/IMG_1194-1024x768.jpeg\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" src=\"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/IMG_1194-scaled.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-73387\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/IMG_1194-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/IMG_1194-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/IMG_1194-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/IMG_1194-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/IMG_1194-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/11\/IMG_1194-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-73387'>\n\t\t\t\tJuergens with former Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles-Belton\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Edmund Boulevard in Minneapolis was recently renamed Lena Smith Boulevard during an unveiling ceremony at the 36th Street intersection. Lena Olive Smith \u201921 was a civil rights activist and the first Black woman attorney in Minnesota who dedicated her life and career fighting discrimination, including housing discrimination. Her most famous case was\u00a0in 1931 representing the &hellip; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/2025\/11\/13\/marking-a-milestone-lena-smith-blvd\/\" class=\"more-link\">Marking a milestone: Lena Smith Blvd<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2537,"featured_media":73383,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-73354","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-features","8":"category-news","9":"entry"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2537"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73354"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73354\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}