AURORA | A city library may be renamed to honor Aurora’s first Black council member, Edna Wilson Mosley.
Councilmembers Alison Coombs and Gianina Horton are sponsoring a measure to rename the Central Library, on Alameda Parkway next to the Aurora Municipal Center, to the Edna Wilson Mosley Central Library.
A virtual meeting to discuss the renaming is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Aug. 25 and the city is taking feedback online through Aug. 31 at EngageAurora.org/renaming.
Wilson Mosley was elected in 1991, becoming the city’s first Black council member. During her time on council, Wilson Mosley championed issues including civil rights, gender equality, veteran’s affairs, affordable housing and education.
Outside of her time on council, Wilson Mosley founded the Women’s Bank, now the Colorado Business Bank, and worked for the Colorado Civil Rights Commission and as director of equal opportunity and affirmative action for the University of Denver. She has been inducted into the Colorado Black Hall of Fame and the Aurora Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame.
Wilson Mosley died in 2014.
Aurora Public Schools also has a school named after Wilson Mosley and her husband John Mosley, who was a Tuskegee Airman.
In a social media post about the renaming, Horton said she hopes to honor Wilson Mosely for paving the way for more Black city council members.
“I believe legacy is how we pay it forward,” Horton said. “I never met Councilmember Wilson Mosley, but feel so privileged to know her family and learn how her contributions are still felt across our city.”
The renaming proposal has not yet been scheduled on a city council agenda.