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File #: 240402    Version: 0 Name:
Type: Resolution Status: ADOPTED
File created: 5/2/2024 In control: CITY COUNCIL
On agenda: Final action: 5/9/2024
Title: Adding "Gjergj Kastrioti Skenderbeu Way" to the street signs on Willits Road between Holme Avenue and Academy Road in recognition of the new Albanian American Community Center being constructed at 3322 Willits Road by the Philadelphia Albanian-American chapter of the Bijte E Shqipes.
Sponsors: Councilmember Driscoll, Councilmember Gilmore Richardson, Councilmember Squilla, Councilmember Lozada, Councilmember O'Rourke, Council President Johnson, Councilmember Phillips, Councilmember Brooks, Councilmember Bass, Councilmember Harrity, Councilmember Landau
Attachments: 1. Resolution No. 24040200, 2. Signature24040200
Title
Adding "Gjergj Kastrioti Skenderbeu Way" to the street signs on Willits Road between Holme Avenue and Academy Road in recognition of the new Albanian American Community Center being constructed at 3322 Willits Road by the Philadelphia Albanian-American chapter of the Bijte E Shqipes.

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WHEREAS, In 2018 the local Albanian-American chapter of the Bijte E Shqipes acquired the former Lower Dublin Academy in Philadelphia located at 3322 Willits Road; and

WHEREAS, With the goal of restoring this former school that used to teach immigrants English, renovations began; and

WHEREAS, Gjergj Kastrioti Skenderbeu is an Albanian National Hero who is known as the defender of Western Civilization. He was born in 1405 in northern Albania and died on January 17, 1468 in Lezh?, Albania; and

WHEREAS, He serves as a symbol of the fight for freedom and independence, and as a leader with a clear vision in the efforts to unify Albanian territories. For centuries, Gjergj Kastrioti has been the most important part of the Albanian national history and identity. His historical figure and what it represents has found its place in the works of many artists, both local and foreign, in sculpture, painting, literature, and cinema; and

WHEREAS, His statue stands in half a dozen European capitals and a bust in London carries an inscription describing him as 'the Defender of Western Civilization'; and

WHEREAS, Gjergj Kastrioti Sk?nderbeu is considered by historians as one of the 4 best generals and strategists of the world with Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and Napoleon Bonaparte; and

WHEREAS, The Vatican has even given him the title "The Athlete of Christianity". The Pope Francis underlined that Gjergj Kastrioti Sk?nderbeu"bravely defended the spiritual values ??and the Christian name, so much so that he deserved the title 'Athleta Christi',"The Athlete of Christianity"; and

WHEREAS, Across the United States, in New York City, Boston, and Chicago, streets have been renamed ...

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