NORWALK, Conn. — Women’s History Month is off to a strong start in Norwalk.
The Public Works Committee unanimously approved a proposal on Tuesday to honor Cutie Mae Jordan, a community musician and choir director, by naming a portion of Knight Street after her. The measure has now been sent to the Common Council for the final vote.
The proposal, submitted by Kyle Jordan, Cutie Mae Jordan’s grandson, had strong support from other family members, clergy, and leaders, who described her decades of contributions to Norwalk through her music, mentorship, and community service.
“So many people speak about how she touched their life and how their life has changed because of her and how she was able to just speak life into them and teach them how to sing and build confidence in them,” Jordan told the committee.
According to him, the family initiated the honorary street-naming proposal to recognize her legacy of contribution to the city. He went on to say that the family chose Knight Street as it holds special significance, being the street where Jordan “first got her roots” in Norwalk after moving to the city from Cape Charles, Virginia.
He described his grandmother as a self-taught musician who began playing the piano at five years old and has since then spent decades sharing that talent with the community.
“Her gift, she’s literally just giving it back to the community,” said Jordan. “She served so many people well.”
Cutie Mae Jordan, who is now in her 90s, has directed gospel choirs and mentored young people. In 1993, at the First Congregational Church on the Green in Norwalk, Mae established a gospel choir and a music ministry at the behest of the then-pastor, Reverend Henry K. Jordan, according to Erika Foster-Senteio, the church’s Justice Minister.
The choir went on to become one of the city’s “most recognized and respected” and was “frequently invited to perform at citywide events and churches throughout the region,” Foster-Senteio.
Cutie Mae Jordan’s daughter, Sean Owens, also spoke during the meeting, noting that she has volunteered extensively in schools in Norwalk and nursing homes throughout the region.
“She volunteered a lot of her time just to give back to the people who are either less fortunate or just needed someone to lift them up,” said Owens.
Amongst her long list of accomplishments, the Gospel Legend also sang the national anthem at the Pentagon.
The Public Works Committee members voiced strong support for the proposal.
Committee member, Darlene Young, said that the singer’s legacy extends past achievements like status and degrees
“Miss Cutie Mae Jordan, whose life, legacy, and love will live on well beyond these days here and will live in the hearts of so many people,” said Young.
Anne Wennerstrand, Committee Chair, also highlighted her historical presence in noting that, according to her biography, after Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, she sang several songs to a large gathering on Norwalk Green.
“I just got such a picture in my mind of what that day must have been like,” said Wennerstrand. “So to me, this connects to our history, connects to the future, and I will definitely be voting affirmatively to send this to council.”
Because Cutie Mae Jordan is still living, the honorary street naming will require a two-thirds-plus-one majority vote by the Council, according to Vanessa Valadares, Norwalk’s Chief of Operations and Public Works in the Engineering and Construction Division.
If approved at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Knight Street would have the honorary designation of Cutie Mae Jordan Way, while existing street addresses will remain the same.
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