Broadway Heights is a small community in the southeastern section of

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, California, United States. It is bordered on the north, east, and west by Lemon Grove, and on the south by

Encanto ''Encanto'' is a 2021 American animated Musical film, musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, co-directed by Charise Castro Smith, and ...

and Mallard Street. The predominantly

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

community has 629 residents within its seven blocks. Weston Street was renamed to Martin Luther King Jr. Way (after the

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

leader

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...

) due to a youth campaign, marking the first time a street in San Diego was named after him.

History

The Broadway Heights subdivision was approved in the 1950s. Most of the homes were built around 1960. In November 2010, Weston Street was renamed to Martin Luther King Jr. Way. This is the first street in San Diego that was named after

, though a street was once named after him but overturned by voters. The change occurred as a result of members of the Broadway Heights Community Youth Council earlier in the year, in addition to planned improvements for their neighborhood. The children went about getting the street name changed after a campaign of signature gathering, letter writing, and visits to City Hall. The book "Community Resilience to Sectarian Violence in Baghdad" cites Broadway Heights as an example of a minority community in the San Diego area that keeps violence in its community down by addressing it head on. As of the publishing of the book, the murder rate for Broadway Heights was at 0%. Broadway Heights has a program called the Broadway Heights Community Council's Intergenerational Tour, wherein youth members participate in a leadership development program to receive mentorship, tutoring, and leadership skills training from the seniors of the community. This program was cited as an example of a successful intergenerational program by the book "Kraus' Recreation and Leisure in Modern Society".

Education

Broadway Heights is served by

San Diego Unified School District San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) is a public school district based in San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 ...

References

{{Coord, 32, 43, 52, N, 117, 3, 7, W, region:US-CA_type:landmark, display=title Neighborhoods in San Diego