An intersection in Alphabet City was officially co-named in honor of the late former President Jimmy Carter.
East 6th Street between Avenues C and D was co-named to “Jimmy Carter Way” to commemorate the first Habitat for Humanity project that Carter worked on. For more than 30 years, Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, led the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project for Habitat for Humanity, inspiring over 108,000 volunteers to build, renovate, or repair 4,447 homes in 14 countries while raising awareness for the need for affordable housing.
“That was when the world found out about Habitat for Humanity,” said Habitat for Humanity International CEO Jonathan Reckford. “The world had never seen a former President and First Lady swinging hammers alongside volunteers and future homeowners. Their example of servant leadership not only helped families achieve the dream of affordable homeownership, but it inspired thousands of volunteers around the world to do the same. The street being named in President Carter’s honor is incredibly fitting but we know what he would really hope for is that the work that he and Mrs. Carter started more than 40 years ago continue.”
In 1984, the Carters and a group of dozens of volunteers rode a bus from Georgia to New York to participate in the first week-long Carter Work Project with Habitat for Humanity. During that week, volunteers renovated a six-story, 19-unit Mascot Flats building on the Lower East Side.
“When in April of 1984 former President Carter visited our abandoned and burned-out shell of a building on East 6th Street, I asked him to consider sending some volunteer carpenters from his church. I would have never thought that five months later he would not only send some carpenters, he would be one of those carpenters,” said Rob DeRocker, Habitat’s first New York City director. “Who would? That he did—and came the next year too—catapulted Habitat for Humanity to the global force for decent, affordable housing that it is today. Nothing could be more appropriate than co-naming the street where it all took place to Jimmy Carter Way.”
“President Carter was a role model to me—someone who did the work that needed to be done because it was necessary. He understood that injustices and inequities exist, and that we must act,” said Don Kao, a Habitat for Humanity homeowner and original shareholder of Mascot Flats, who hosted the Carters in his apartment during the renovation process. “He believed housing is a human right, that food insecurity has no place in a country like ours, and that the basic needs we consider human rights should be guaranteed for all. Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter didn’t just believe that—they lived it.”
“Thank you, President Jimmy Carter for all you have done for our community to provide affordable homes to families in need,” said Irene Arroyo, another original shareholder from Mascot Flats.
The Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project will take place in Austin later this month where thousands of volunteers will work together to build 25 homes in the country’s first fully geothermal residential neighborhood.
“President Carter’s legacy is woven into the very fabric of Habitat’s mission,” said Sabrina Lippman, CEO, Habitat NYC and Westchester. “Habitat’s work and reach benefitted immeasurably from Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter’s partnership, advocacy, and unwavering commitment to building a better world. Co-naming this street Jimmy Carter Way—where the Carters worked on their first Habitat for Humanity project—is a lasting tribute to a legacy that continues to inspire our work every day.”
“President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter showed the world that leadership means rolling up your sleeves and working alongside your neighbors to create positive change in your community. Their commitment to public service, volunteerism, and the creation of affordable housing inspired a movement that benefitted families across the globe. I am proud to have helped make “Jimmy Carter Way” a reality, helping commemorate the site of the first Habitat for Humanity project that renovated the Mascot Flats building. I’ve been inspired throughout my career by the Carter’s legacy, helping to build and preserve affordable housing as the Council Member of the second district, and will continue to fighting to ensure that every New Yorker has a safe and affordable place to live as President and CEO of NYSAFAH,” said Carlina Rivera, President and CEO of the New York State Association for Affordable Housing.
