[nfb-talk] Wells Street Ceremonially Named as Jernigan Place

[David Andrews]

>
>----------
>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>
>CONTACT:
>Chris Danielsen
>Public Relations Specialist
>National Federation of the Blind
>(410) 659-9314, ext. 2330
>(410) 262-1281 (Cell)
><mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>cdanielsen at nfb.org
>
>Wells Street Ceremonially Named as Jernigan Place
>
>Ceremonial Naming Honors Renowned Civil Rights Leader Kenneth Jernigan
>
>Baltimore, Maryland (April 3, 2008): The National Federation of the 
>Blind (NFB) announced today the ceremonial christening of the 200 
>block of Wells Street in South Baltimore as Jernigan Place.  Street 
>signs bearing the name Jernigan Place will be added to Wells Street 
>on the morning of Friday, April 4.  The ceremonial naming is in 
>honor of Dr. Kenneth Jernigan, former NFB President and one of the 
>most influential figures in the blindness movement.  Dr. Jernigan 
>brought the NFB headquarters to South Baltimore in 1978, and 
>Baltimore City honors the National Federation of the Blind's thirty 
>years in Baltimore with the ceremonial naming.
>
>Dr. Jernigan served as NFB President from 1968 to 1986, and remained 
>a renowned leader of the NFB until his untimely death from lung 
>cancer in 1998.  During his tenure as president, Dr. Jernigan 
>established a revolutionary rehabilitation program for blind people, 
>a model that has since been replicated in several states and to this 
>day brings success and opportunity to all who enroll.
>
>"The street signs bearing Dr. Jernigan's name are symbolic of his 
>enduring contribution to blind people in Maryland and the rest of 
>the country.  Under Dr. Jernigan's dynamic leadership, the National 
>Center for the Blind in Baltimore became the focal point of civil 
>rights activity not only for the blind of America, but also for 
>blind people all over the world," said Dr. Marc Maurer, President of 
>the National Federation of the Blind.
>
>"It is fitting that Baltimore is bestowing the name Jernigan Place 
>upon Wells Street this year, as the naming coincides with the 
>National Federation of the Blind's celebration of thirty years in 
>Baltimore," said Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon. "We are proud to 
>recognize the National Federation of the Blind and Dr. Kenneth 
>Jernigan's unparalleled achievements in the blindness field, many of 
>which occurred here in Baltimore."
>
>After the Jernigan Place street signs are erected on the morning of 
>April 4, the National Federation of the Blind will hold its 2008 
>Celebration, an event celebrating thirty years of achievement in 
>Baltimore.  The event will begin at 6:00 p.m. with silent and live 
>auctions, food from the finest restaurants in Baltimore, and 
>entertainment from Beatles tribute band Beatlemagic.
>
>For more information about this exciting event, please contact Jerry 
>Lazarus at (410) 659-9314, extension 2297, or 
><mailto:jlazarus at nfb.org>jlazarus at nfb.org.  Tickets are available 
>online at <http://www.nfb.org>www.nfb.org and will also be available 
>at the door.
>
>
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>
>
>
>About the National Federation of the Blind
>
>With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind 
>is the largest and most influential membership organization of blind 
>people in the United States.   The NFB improves blind people's lives 
>through advocacy, education, research, technology, and programs 
>encouraging independence and self-confidence.  It is the leading 
>force in the blindness field today and the voice of the nation's 
>blind.  In January 2004 the NFB opened the National Federation of 
>the Blind Jernigan Institute, the first research and training center 
>in the United States for the blind led by the blind.
>