PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Award-winning musician and Portsmouth native, Missy Elliott, is set to be honored Monday with the renaming of a portion of McLean Street to “Missy Elliott Boulevard”. The City will host a renaming ceremony and will present her with a key to the city.
News 3 is live at Manor High School, Elliott's alma mater, to capture the excitement and celebrations being held to honor a local legend.
We're told the dedication ceremony is private for Missy Elliott, her family, and city leaders. The pep rally - open to the public - will be held at Manor High School
Mayor Shannon Glover recently talked about a conversation he had with Elliott's mother.
“She told me how Missy came to her as a child and she came to me and said, “Mom, I have a dream. I want to be a superstar.’ And like parents do, she said, “Yeah, baby, that’s a great dream. I’m sure you’ll do it.’ And low and behold, she did it,” Mayor Glover said.
While Manor High School is Missy Elliott's alma mater, all three Portsmouth high school bands will perform during the pep rally. Also performing today are bands from local HBCUs.
We visited Norfolk State University last week as they prepared for Monday's parade. Other HBCU's performing include, Hampton University, ECSU, and Virginia State University.
Students playing today say that Missy Elliott serves as a role model.
"I’m very excited for it because people like Missy Elliott and Pharrell, they all come from this area and seeing them do big things really inspires us. Especially me because I’m from Norfolk. It inspires us to do more and get ahead," Jaylin Jackson, a NSU marching band drum major.
The principal of Manor High says the same thing, that Missy Elliott inspires his students every day.
Because Missy is so fiercely loyal to her hometown, we're told the grammy-winning-artist has donated over $50,000 to Manor High.
That money has paid for spirit gear, allowed students to compete in completions, and funded signs for seniors during the pandemic.
The parade begins at 3:30 this afternoon and it's highly recommended to get there early.
If planning to attend Monday's festivities, you might want to keep in mind a change of traffic in the Hodges Manor area from 1 to 3 p.m.
Eastbound traffic along Airline Boulevard at Portsmouth Boulevard will go from three lanes to one.
McLean Street, which is the actual street that will soon be renamed, will be shut down from Airline Boulevard to the entrance of Victory Crossing. If needing to get to Victory Crossing during that time, Victory Boulevard will be open to enter.
Over near Manor High, Elmhurst Lane will also be shut down until 5 p.m. from Sequoia to Brunswick and Cherokee Roads, and from Baskerville Road to Logan Drive.
