Outside the 'South' - More Cultural Cleansing - Old Dixie Hwy gets new 'presidential'
Story by Thomas Forester /CBS12 RIVIERA BEACH, FL (CBS12)
It's official. Old Dixie Highway is now officially President Barack Obama Highway within the city limits of Riviera Beach. For the residents of Riviera Beach, it has been a long time coming. Mary Brabham has been a resident of Riviera Beach for years. She says the change is welcome. "It's time to let the past be the past. We are moving forward and do things not for one, but for all." According to Riviera Beach Mayor Thomas Masters, Old Dixie Highway served as a reminder that this city was once heavily segregated. Changing signage is about closing the chapter on racism and beginning a renewed sense of pride. "We are stepping up to a new day, a new era, and replacing old Dixie with Barack Obama who represents change." He is also proud that the city of Riviera Beach is the only city in the country where signs for Dr Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard and President Barack Obama Highway are on the same corner.