The co-naming honors Carter's legacy of service and his active efforts to rebuild communities. In 1984, former President and First Lady Rosalynn Carter launched their first week-long Carter Work Project with Habitat for Humanity and a group of volunteers who arrived at 742 E. Sixth St. — the six-story Mascot Flats building that had been a burned-out shell — by bus from Georgia.
"That was when the world found out about Habitat for Humanity," Habitat for Humanity International CEO Jonathan Reckford said in a statement. "The world had never seen a former President and First Lady swinging hammers alongside volunteers and future homeowners. Their example of servant leadership not only helped families achieve the dream of affordable homeownership, but it inspired thousands of volunteers around the world to do the same."
The co-naming ceremony included several longtime Mascot Flats residents, such as Don Kao, a Habitat homeowner and original shareholder who hosted the Carters in his apartment, which they worked on, during a 30-year retrospective reception.
"President Carter was a role model to me — someone who did the work that needed to be done because it was necessary," Kao said. "He understood that injustices and inequities exist, and that we must act. He believed housing is a human right, that food insecurity has no place in a country like ours, and that the basic needs we consider human rights should be guaranteed for all."
Here's a look at the street blade on the SW corner of Sixth Street and Avenue D...
Bottom three photos by Anthony Collins
