Jeannetta Simpson-Robinson Memorial Highway honors nonviolence advocate

MILWAUKEE - A sign unveiled Thursday, Sept. 17 renamed a portion of I-43 the "Jeannetta Simpson-Robinson Memorial Highway." Jeannetta Simpson-Robinson, who passed away in October 2008, was a well-known activist for non-violence. It is the first memorial highway in Wisconsin that recognizes a woman of color.

Along with her mother, Claretta “Mother Freedom” Robinson, Jeannetta Simpson-Robinson founded Career Youth Development (CYD), providing educational and vocational training, as well as AODA prevention and gang intervention services to at-risk youth.

According to a news release announcing the event, after the tragic death of both her daughter, Cheryl, and granddaughter, “Little Jeannetta,” Simpson-Robinson created the Survivors of Homicide Grief and Support Group.

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She also created the Victory Over Violence Initiative, serving as "a source of light and a lifeline for so many in the Milwaukee community." 

Community leaders unveiled the sign at the Northcott Neighborhood House on 6th Street in Milwaukee.

Jeannetta Simpson-Robinson Memorial Highway begins at the North Avenue interchange along I-43 in Milwaukee and proceeds north to the Keefe Avenue and Atkinson Avenue interchange.

Milwaukee City Treasurer Spencer Coggs introduced legislation to make this happen when he was state senator, and Governor Jim Doyle signed it in 2010, two years after Simpson-Robinson's passing.