Santa Clarita dedicated a street in the name of the late Louis E. Brathwaite, a key figure in the city’s incorporation in 1987.
The dedication ceremony, attended by officials and Brathwaite’s family, celebrated his leadership and lasting impact on Santa Clarita’s development.
The third-largest city in LA County would not exist without the efforts of Louis E. Brathwaite.
” That is his legacy,” said Gloria Locke, Community Activist and Retired multi-media journalist.
“He planned and promoted this city to be what it is today, and we stand on his shoulders, all of us stand on his shoulders for that,” said Locke.
The Brathwaite family and city dignitaries attended the sign unveiling at the new Sand Canyon Village development.
“May the street be a symbol of the progress and the hope and unity just like the man whose name it bears,” said Pilar Schiavo, Assemblywoman, District 40, while speaking at the event.
A community activist successfully petitioned the city to dedicate a street sign… coincidentally on Brathwaite’s 92nd birthday. Brathwaite died in 2001.
Brathwaite was the driving force behind the push to incorporate the City of Santa Clarita in 1987.
Navigating the city’s rapid growth, he became the first African American appointed to the City Planning Commission and elected to the Williams S Hart District board, including the Boys & Girls Club.
“He was one of the key people who helped push the building through the planning process,” said Jim Ventress, Former CEO of the Santa Clarita Boys and Girls Club.
“Future generations are going to see that sign, and they are going to ask who Louis Brathwaite is, and they are going to find out too,” said Locke.
