The Bordeaux Community and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Bridge/Martin Luther King, Jr. Bridge

The Bordeaux Community and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Bridge: In 1866, Dr. M. O. Randall applied for a post office in this area, but the community needed a name. Having just returned from a trip to France, he named it Bordeaux. In 1889, Bordeaux had the first bridge to cross the Cumberland in the northwest Nashville area. In 1917, that bridge was replaced with a new one called the Bordeaux Bridge. In 1978, the Tennessee General Assembly approved a bond for the replacement of the Bordeaux Bridge to accommodate increased traffic. Officials named the replacement link the Martin Luther King, Jr. Bridge. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Bridge: On April 20, 1960, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. came to Nashville and spoke to those gathered at Fisk University. He said, "I came to Nashville not to bring inspiration but to gain inspiration from the great movement in this community.” He applauded the Nashville Sit-in Movement. King's message affirmed that the movement was not "merely a demand for eating places but a demand to be somebody, a demand for respect." The Martin Luther King, Jr. Bridge opened in 1980 and allowed motorists to cross the Cumberland River into Bordeaux and the Northwest Community.