Section Of Point Breeze Avenue Renamed To Honor Community Advocate
By John McDevitt
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The block where the Point Breeze Performing Arts Center is located gets a new name to honor the legacy of a man who ran the center for more than 20 years.
The 1700 block of Point Breeze Avenue has a new, honorary name: "Al Brown Way" and signs are now in place.
Albert Brown died in 2013. He was active in the community development and saw the potential of children.
He and his wife Donna ran the Point Breeze Performing Arts Center and took kids on competitions around the world.
"He pushed me like I thought I could never be pushed. Nothing was impossible." said Donna. "When Al came home and said 'Oh we're going to Australia.' I said where is the money going to come from, he said I'll work out the logistics, you work out the money".
Many say the community leader made a difference in young people's lives.
Including Cheshonna Miles who spent much of her childhood at the center.
"I charge you to ask yourself --Are you giving your best? If Mr. Al had his way he would insist that you do so." said Miles. "His memory is more than a street name, it is a lifestyle, a calling, a way of life. Continue to do his work, be the constant, not the variable, be the best that you can be. We owe it to ourselves and to him and his legacy."
City Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, the Brown family, and members of performing arts center were among those participating in the event.
