Black Boy Lane in Tottenham was officially renamed on Monday because residents found the signs offensive” and thought it was “time for change”.
The street signs were swapped to La Rose Lane in a council funded operation thought to cost around£186,000.
Poet and activist John La Rose founded the first Caribbean publishing company in Britain and the council said the change was part of a wider review of monuments and buildings.
Haringey’s corporate committee took the decision in February to rename Black Boy Lane to La Rose Lane.
At the time Cllr Peray Ahmet, Leader of Haringey Council, said: “We consulted on the renaming of Black Boy Lane in favour of La Rose Lane as part of a review of monument, buildings, place and street names, aimed at ensuring that our public spaces across Haringey are reflective and respectful of our wonderfully rich and diverse borough.
The new name commemorates a local celebrated artist – John La Rose – who founded the first Caribbean publishing company in Britain and co-founded the Black Parents Movement from parents involved in the George Padmore Supplementary School to combat the brutalisation and criminalisation of young black people, and to agitate for youth and parent power and decent education.
John La Rose died on 28 February 2006. He is part of a Caribbean tradition of radical and revolutionary activism whose input has reverberated across continents.
