Title
To designate that portion of Leigh Street from its intersection with North 3rd Street to its intersection with North Belvedere Street in honor of the late Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. (6th District)
Body
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of Council, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson was born in Jackson Ward on May 25, 1878, and began performing local minstrel shows as a child at five years of age; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of Council, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson later moved to Washington, D.C. where he performed in the show The South Before the War; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of Council, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson served in the United States Army and, upon completion of his service, he continued to tour with vaudeville shows, ultimately gaining national acclaim after starring in several stage revues on Broadway and appearing in over a dozen films; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of Council, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson died on November 25, 1949, and his body lay in repose at the 369th Infantry Regiment Armory in Harlem, New York, where 32,000 visitors paid their respects before his burial in the Cemetery of the Evergreens in New York; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of Council, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson was posthumously inducted into the National Museum of Dance Hall of Fame in 1987, and each year his birthday, May 25, is recognized as "National Tap Dance Day;" and
WHEREAS, the City desires to memorialize Bill "Bojangles" Robinson's contributions to the cultural life of the city of Richmond and beyond by designating that portion of Leigh Street from its intersection with North 3rd Street to its intersection with North Belvedere Street in his honor as "Bill Bojangles Robinson Boulevard;" and
WHEREAS, because this designation is honorary only, the provisions of sections 8-7 through 8-10 of the Code of the City of Richmond (2020), as amended, do not apply to the designation m...
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