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Barack Obama Gets a Los Angeles Boulevard Renamed After Him

An almost four-mile stretch has been dedicated to the former president.

People gather at a festival where a South Los Angeles street was renamed Obama Blvd.
Image via Getty/Mario Tama
Getty

The city of Los Angeles held a ceremony on Saturday in which a portion of Rodeo Road was renamed President Barack Obama Boulevard. An almost four-mile stretch has been dedicated to the former president.

This stretch of land also holds sentimental value for Obama. It's close to Rancho Cienega Park, where Obama held his first-ever campaign rally in the city.

The motion to rename the strip was first introduced by City Council President Herb Wesson in 2017. It gained its final approval in August 2018, 10 years after Obama secured the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.

"It’s official - Rodeo Rd. is now #ObamaBlvd," Wesson tweeted in celebration. "For every child who will drive down this street and see the name of the first Black President of our country, this boulevard will serve as a physical reminder that no goal is out of reach and that no dream is too big."

Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti seconded Wesson's tweet: "We're thrilled that Angelenos and visitors will forever be reminded of the legacy of President Barack Obama when traveling across L.A."

Barack Obama joins founding fathers George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson as presidents who've had pieces of Rodeo Road repurposed in their honor.

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