East 101st Street, between 3rd and Lexington Avenues, will be renamed Cicely Tyson Way in honor of the iconic, award-winning actress.
The ceremony will include appearances by the Honorable Diana Ayala, New York City Council deputy speaker, the Dance Theater 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. The event will conclude with a dance party and music will be provided by DJ Krayze and Liquitone Entertainment.
Last year, the street naming was approved by the New York City Council; the renaming initiative was led by Ayala; Taina Traverso; Nina M Saxon, and Deborah Quinones, who co-founded the Cicely Tyson Street Renaming and Landmark Committee. The committee was tasked with gathering dozens of signatures from individuals and entities such as Donna Brazile and the New York Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., of which Tyson was an honorary member.
Regarded as one of the best thespians in the acting establishment, Tyson garnered critical acclaim for her powerful performances on stage, TV and film. Her credits include Sounder, Roots, The Autobiography of Jane Pittman, Fried Green Tomatoes and How to Get Away with Murder. Throughout her illustrious career, she earned three Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, a Peabody Award, several NAACP Image Awards and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
She was awarded the Kennedy Center Honors Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015, the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2016, and an Honorary Academy Award in 2018.
Tyson passed away at the age of 96 in January 2021.
The street renaming ceremony will take place on Saturday, September 17, 2022, from noon to 5 p.m.
