New York will soon honor the late Cicely Tyson with a street renaming in Harlem. Following the passing of the legendary Tyson in January 2021, it has been decided that East 101st Street between 3rd and Lexington Avenues will be renamed.
The street naming was approved last summer by the New York City Council. The surrounding community is anticipating the event on September 17 2022 from noon to 5pm.
The revered actress was born in 1924 to parents from the Caribbean island of Nevis. She was raised as a Harlem native at 178 East 101st Street, a five-story walk-up between Lexington and 3rd Avenue.
Related: Tributes Pour In For Iconic Actress Cicely Tyson After She Passes Away At 96
The renaming ceremony
The tribute to the late East Harlem native will be marked with a street celebration on the very stretch of 101st that she grew up on featuring an unveiling ceremony with a presentation by the Honorable Diana Ayala, New York City Council deputy speaker. The presentation will be followed by appearances by the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Poet Laureate of El Barrio Jesús Papoleto Meléndez, poet Juan Papa Santiago, the Dominican Folklore Dance Troupe, the Caribbean-American Sports and Youth Movement Steel Orchestra, and many more notable community members.
Tyson’s impressive credits include Sounder, Roots, The Autobiography of Jane Pittman, Fried Green Tomatoes, and How to Get Away with Murder. Throughout her long career, she earned three Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, a Peabody Award, several NAACP Image Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Tyson passed away at the age of 96 in January 2021.