RED SPRINGS — As motorists enter Red Springs on Highway 211, either from the north or the east, they’ll be reminded of the legacy of Bishop Kenneth Monroe.
On his 75th birthday, that legacy was at the forefront as local officials and his fellow clergy honored Monroe with the dedication of the Bishop Kenneth Monroe Highway.
“I’m honored, for one thing,” Monroe told The Robesonian following Friday’s ceremony. “I’m blessed to have people who think of me that way. I’ve tried to be a help to people; I’ve tried to do that all my life, particularly since I’ve been a minister. I’m very grateful that I’ve touched a lot of people around here. … All that people said just lifted my spirits.”
“This designation will ensure that everyone who travels through here will encounter his name and his legacy,” said Lee Jernigan, Division 6 engineer with the N.C. Department of Transportation. “They will be reminded of a life defined by faith, service and leadership. We are grateful to Bishop Monroe and his lasting commitment to the Red Springs community.”
N.C. Highway 211 now bears Monroe’s name as it passes through the town of Red Springs, beginning on the north end at the intersection with Watson Mill Road and Industrial Road, and on the east end at its intersection with Old Lowery Road. The stretch of highway measures about five miles.
“It’s about five miles; five miles is 8,800 yards, 26,400 feet, 316,800 inches,” said Edward Pone, a retired district court judge. “But every way you measure it, every inch is worth it for Kenneth Monroe.”
Signs were installed Friday at each end of the Bishop Kenneth Monroe Highway. A replica sign, to be kept by Monroe, was also unveiled at the dedication ceremony.
The process to name a highway includes a unanimous resolution by a government board — in this case the Red Springs Board of Commissioners — before an application process through NCDOT and the approval of the State Board of Transportation.
“I wish to thank officials from the North Carolina Department of Transportation, Mayor Caroline Sumpter and the council members for the town of Red Springs,” Monroe said during his remarks.
The ceremony was held at St. James AME Zion Church in Red Springs, the home church as he grew up in Red Springs; he now resides in Shannon. Through his career, he has served as a pastor, presiding elder and bishop for numerous congregations, conferences and episcopal districts in the AME Zion Church. He became Senior Bishop of the AME Zion Church in 2021 before retiring in 2024.
“Even if I did not understand it, or if I thought it was greater than my resources or my abilities, I was determined to outdo it, outmaneuver it, or overthrow it, with God’s help,” Monroe said. “As a result, schools were built, a hospital was built, churches were built, preachers were given scholarships, a conference center was built, the morale and confidence of people were lifted and inspired. More importantly, I was transformed, as well as other people, places and problems. I was determined to make the impossible possible with God.”
Monroe oversaw efforts to build the Janie Speaks Hospital in Ghana in 2006, and in 2016 helped spearhead more than $250,000 in funding for churches in Eastern North Carolina affected by Hurricane Matthew.
“His faith is expressed not only in his words, but in compassionate actions,” said Rev. Dr. Chalmers McDougald, presiding elder for the Laurinburg District of the AME Zion Church.
Monroe was also praised as a family man; he has been married to his wife, Sheila, for 51 years, and is a proud father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
Red Springs elected officials, a pair of former judges and several members of the AME Zion clergy spoke during Friday’s ceremony.
“A highway connects communities and leads people to new destinations,” Red Springs Mayor Caroline Sumpter said. “It’s fitting that a road bearing Bishop Monroe’s name symbolizes a path he has paved for so many; a path of faith, hope, integrity and service.”
“I stopped by to tell Red Springs, and the state of North Carolina: it’s alright if you change the name,” Pone said. “It’s alright if you name it for a man of honor. It’s alright if you name it for a man of integrity. It’s alright if you name it for a gospel preacher. In the town of Red Springs, it’s alright.”
Multiple speakers used the highway as a metaphor for the path through life on which Monroe has helped others.
“The sign is to point you somewhere,” said Bishop W. Darin Moore, presiding prelate for the Eastern North Carolina Episcopal District. “The sign is to let you know you’re on the right road. The sign is to assure you that if you follow this path, you’ll get where you’re going. So we come to celebrate not just the sign, but a path, a way, and a highway.”
“Today as we dedicate this highway in his honor, we do more than place his name on a road,” McDougald said. “We recognize a life of extraordinary service, humble leadership, unwavering faith and enduring generosity. May all who travel this highway be reminded of a man whose life’s journey has inspired so many, and whose legacy will continue to be guided for generations to come.”
Monroe overcame serious illness as a teenager before his lengthy career in ministry, a fact mentioned multiple times during the ceremony as an example of what God has done in his life.
Six decades later, a tangible sign of his legacy exists on the primary thoroughfare through his hometown.
“I’m grateful to be here on my 75th birthday,” Monroe said. “To all of the clergy, presiding elders, pastors all assembled, I give you the glory of God. … It has been declared that this is Kenneth Monroe Highway. Please know that I am very humbled and honored by the action taken today.”
Editor Chris Stiles can be reached at 910-416-5847 or by email at [email protected].