Intersection Co-Named Honoring Late Community Activist Barbara Simmons

CROWN HEIGHTS – The intersection ofLefferts and Kingston Avenues was co-named to Barbara Simmons Way this weekend to honor the community activist who died last year.

Barbara “Cookie” Simmons was a strong advocate for education. She traveled to Albany many times to lobby for school funding and better housing for the poor. She was also very active in her school district, District 17.

Simmons supported a lot of youth causes and volunteered at PS 161 and MS 2, both schools in her community. She was also an active member of New York Communities for Change and the United Federation of Teachers.

This past Saturday, September 16, family, and friends gathered at the intersection of the Lefferts and Kingston Avenues at the ceremony hosted by Council Member Mathieu Eugene to see it get co-named.

“It is a true honor to be joined this afternoon by the friends and family of a community icon, the late Barbara Simmons. This woman dedicated her entire life to improving educational resources for her community, and for her efforts, we are most appreciative,” Eugene said.

“By re-naming the corner of Lefferts Avenue and Kingston Avenue for her, we are memorializing her spirit and her value to the community, and we are setting an example for future generations to follow. It is with much pride that we come together today to co-name this intersection Barbara Simmons Way.”