PROVIDENCE – The $22 million Providence Pedestrian Bridge, which opened last year to acclaim, may be named in honor of the late Michael Van Leesten, a civil rights advocate and longtime resident of Providence.
Van Leesten died in August 2019 at the age of 80. A resolution to change the name of the bridge to honor his legacy was introduced last week and has gained the support of the City Council committee on urban redevelopment, renewal and planning. The full council is expected to vote on it soon.
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Van Leesten was active in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and worked in rural Alabama during the civil rights movement, organizing voter registration drives. He was a graduate of Hope High School and of Rhode Island College.
He led the Opportunities Industrialization Center of Rhode Island for 15 years and was director of planning and development for the city of Providence.
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at MacDonald@PBN.com.
