We, the undersigned, support the co-naming of the street at the intersection of 165th Street and Roger Place after peacemaker Cornell "Black Benjie" Benjamin. The site will memorialize the location where "Black Benjie" was murdered while trying to negotiate peace.

Cornell "Black Benjie"Benjamin deserves to have this street named for him because he dedicated his life to making change in the Bronx. His life and death are highly important to the history of the Bronx and he should be recognized for his efforts. Unfortunately, currently "Black Benjie's" contributions are not adequately celebrated. 

Cornell "Black Benjie" Benjamin was the peacemaker for the Ghetto Brothers gang in the early 1970s. The Ghetto Brothers and "Black Benjie" specifically were trying to create peace among the other gangs in the Bronx. His death directly led to the "Hoe Avenue Peace Treaty" which shifted the trajectory of gang violence in the Bronx. Co-naming this street for "Black Benjie" allows the Bronx to celebrate this hero in order to keep the lessons of his death and the legacy of his peacemaking current in the lives of our young people.