Title
Dr. Warren H. Stewart Sr. Ceremonial Street Signage
Description
Request City Council approval to install ceremonial street signage recognizing Dr. Warren H. Stewart Sr. at the intersection of 12th and Jefferson streets.
Report
Summary
Dr. Warren H. Stewart Sr. has served as senior pastor of First Institutional Baptist Church (FIBC) of Phoenix since 1977. He is known for preaching and teaching “Jesus and Justice” in 38 states and 51 countries. Dr. Stewart Sr. is a community activist who advocates for the spiritual, social, and economic needs of the community. He has a legacy of being a voice for the voiceless and underserved through his words and actions. He built the Community Hope Center on the FIBC campus to serve the city center community.
Dr. Stewart Sr. was the founder and board member of FIBCO Family Services, Inc., a social arm of FIBC. FIBCO provides resources for affordable quality food, clothing, housing, job training, healthcare, and immigration assistance. He formed additional social arms of FIBC through the Broadway House for low-income families and individuals with housing insecurities, and the Ujima House for unwed teenage mothers and their infants or in transition out of the justice system. In 2021, Dr. Stewart Sr. with FIBC, led the collaboration of faith, healthcare, and government and held one of the first COVID-19 vaccination sites delivering over 1,200 vaccinations.
Dr. Stewart Sr.’s humanitarian and religious efforts reached well beyond the inner city. He served as chairperson of the African American Christian Clergy Coalition, Chairman of the Board of the National Immigration Forum, and he co-organized the Black/Brown Coalition of Arizona. Dr. Stewart Sr. served as President of the American Baptist Churches of the Pacific Southwest, president of the Paradise Missionary Baptist State Convention of Arizona, Inc., and served as the first General Chairperson for Arizonans for a Martin Luther King Jr. State where his efforts contributed to declaring a state holiday.
Dr. Stewart Sr. was the recipient of numerous awards recognizing his contributions to the community. Those awards include:
- The Calvin C. Goode Lifetime Achievement Award;
- The Historical League, Inc. Historymaker Award;
- Named to the Phoenix Gazette’s Hall of Fame in 1993 for his notable effect on Arizona;
- Recognized as one of the 25 Leaders and Legends by the Phoenix Business Journal in 2005;
- Inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr. College of Ministers and Laity Board of Preachers in 2015; and
- The Valley Leadership Man of the Year 2021.
The ceremonial street name signs will be mounted on the mast arms of the northeast and southwest traffic signal poles at 12th and Jefferson streets. See Attachment A for an illustration of the proposed sign.
Financial Impact
The fabrication and installation costs of the ceremonial signs will be funded by Council District 8.
Location
12th and Jefferson streets
Council District: 8
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Mario Paniagua and the Street Transportation Department.