JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Part of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Jackson could be renamed after the late Hinds County Judge LaRita Cooper Stokes.

Jackson City Councilman Kenneth Stokes, Ward 3, said he will introduce a vote during Tuesday’s City Council meeting for an honorary renaming part of the street as “Judge LaRita Cooper Stokes Drive.”

The part of the road that would be renamed is near Lanier High School, where Cooper Stokes attended.

With recent concerns of possible school closures within the Jackson Public School District (JPS), the councilman said he hopes students will see the street signs and be inspired by his wife’s legacy to stay in school.

“We’ll try to put up a museum where we honor her and other outstanding graduates of Lanier and Jackson State University. So, it will be an encouragement to other young people to stay in school. We must preach about staying in school and not allowing young people to just drop out of school and mess their life up completely,” Stokes said.

Cooper Stokes was the first Black woman to be elected to the bench in Hinds County. She died at the age of 64 in May 2023.