Valley Junction street naming honors couple who fought for their neighborhood
Johnny E. Long Jr. and wife Barbara for decades advocated for West Des Moines to invest in their neighborhood — which it ultimately did, using tax incentives and targeted repair and improvement loans to help transform a community damaged by redlining and urban renewal projects.
On Friday, the city honored the late couple's care and persistence, unveiling signs naming a portion of Maple Street in Valley Junction for them.
City officials and family of the Longs gathered for the unveiling outside the Eddie Davis Community Center, which the Longs created. It was designed to help immigrants and families of color in their neighborhood access legal services and obtain food, clothes and more.
Johnny Long died in 2010 and Barbara Long in 2021.
The City Council in July unanimously voted to designate the section of Maple Street between First and 14th streets as the "Johnny E. Long, Jr. and Barbara Long Honorary Roadway." The Longs are the first residents to receive a street designation and the first Black individuals to be named on city-owned property.
The council recently amended the city's Honorary Roadway Naming Policy "to honor current and former residents who have made demonstrable and positive contributions to the City during their lifetime," according to a city news release.
Phillip Sitter covers suburban growth and development for the Des Moines Register. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com. He is on Twitter @pslifeisabeauty.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Unveiling in Valley Junction honors Johnny and Barbara Long, who fought for their neighborhood
