Portion of Plymouth Avenue to be renamed to "Spike Moss Way," honoring civil rights activist
MINNEAPOLIS — Spike Moss spent decades fighting for his community, much of that time along Plymouth Avenue.
The stretch between Newton and Lyndale avenues will soon be named "Spike Moss Way," an honor usually only given posthumously.
"Most people have no clue what he has given, what he has given to Minneapolis, North Minneapolis, St. Paul, the Twin Cities, and actually to America," said Tyrone Terrell, president of the African American Leadership Council.
Terrell has worked alongside Spike Moss for more than 40 years, and through those years, has witnessed Moss' resilience and unwavering commitment.
"Brother Spike always gets results and he is willing to put himself on the line," said Terrell.
Terrell calls Moss his big brother and smiles when he talks about this community champion.
"Whether it was bus jobs or police or fire or General Mills — you name it — he has been at that table," he said.
Moss committed his life to fighting injustice in 1966. He was instrumental in diversifying Metro Transit. He pushed an initiative forcing them to hire Black bus drivers at a time that wasn't allowed.
At a time when fire departments questioned the intelligence and physical prowess of Black people, Moss successfully advocated for desegregation, allowing African Americans to work as firefighters. He battled police brutality and advocated for the recruitment of Black officers.
Terrell says history books will never show the impact Moss has made on the culture, like his role as the youngest director of The Way Opportunities Unlimited, a nonprofit community center.
"All the things and programming that benefitted the community, Prince, everybody learned to play the guitar in the basement of the Way with famous brother Sony Thompson. The Way was where you played your sports, where you got academic help, and the name was so perfect. The Way, showing young Black kids the way, the way to success. And it was led by him," said Terrell.
Shane Price met Moss when he was a 12-year-old student at Lincoln Junior High School.
"The Way was pivotal in kind of directing that traffic, directing the traffic of the young Negroes who had become African Americans, directing the traffic of individuals and organizations who wanted to be helpful but didn't know how to plug in and The Way was that nucleus for both," explained Price, the Director of Power of People Personal Development Leadership Institute.
Moss's impact on his life led Price to a career working with young people, and spending time in Minnesota prisons, helping educate and rehabilitate.
"I believe that consistency is the only thing that grants true authentic authority. Spike has been absolutely positively consistent in his advocacy for a better way of life for the African American people," said Price.
It's a fight this octogenarian is still fighting to this day, and now it'll be more visible for community members to see.
"A street that he put so much of his life into now will hold his name," said Terrell.
The dedication is at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Plymouth and Newton avenues. It'll be a community gathering at the University of Minnesota's Urban Research and Outreach Engagement Center, featuring speeches from famous musicians and athletes Moss mentored.
