DC Activists Oppose Naming MLK Library's New Auditorium After Jeff Bezos

WASHINGTON, DC — D.C. activists and public officials are urging the D.C. Public Library’s Board of Trustees to scrap plans to name the auditorium inside the newly renovated Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library after Amazon co-founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos.

DCPL Director Richard Reyes-Gavilan recommended renaming the auditorium to recognize Bezos for his donation of $2.7 million to the library system in December to support Beyond the Book, a new childhood literacy program.

On Jan. 25, the board voted in favor of Reyes-Gavilan’s recommendation to place Bezos’ name on the auditorium of D.C.’s flagship library.

A majority of the criticism to Bezos getting his name on the MLK Library’s auditorium has been generated by what people sees as the contrast between Martin Luther King Jr. and Bezos, DCist’s Martin Austermuhle reported Friday.

King was critical of economic inequality and the gap between rich and poor, while Bezos — one of the wealthiest people in the world — is viewed by many as co-founding a company that pays its workers low wages and opposes unionization efforts.

“To name any part of the MLK Library in honor of Jeff Bezos is disrespectful to the legacy of Dr. King and would also cause hurt and harm to DC’s Black community,” Harriet’s Wildest Dream, a nonprofit group leading a campaign against the auditorium renaming, wrote in an appeal to D.C. residents. “Bezos is on a world tour to launder his reputation and the MLK Library should have no part in it.”

Along with the new auditorium, the $211 million renovation of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in downtown D.C., completed in 2020, included the construction of a new entryway, a ground level café with patio, and a rooftop terrace.

Bezos and his company have been building a greater presence in the D.C. area in recent years. In 2013, Bezos purchased The Washington Post. Five years later, Amazon picked Arlington County as the site for its second headquarters.

Bezos also purchased a $23 million mansion in D.C. and will get his name on a new building at the National Air and Space Museum.

D.C. elected officials also are complaining about the decision to rename the auditorium after Bezos.

“I’m sorry, what? That’s ridiculous,” tweeted D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen.

“Your service, rather than money, should be biggest factor for such an honor. These moments should never be for sale,” tweeted U.S. Rep. Oye Owolewa, D.C.’s shadow representative to Congress.

D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson told the Washington City Paper that he thinks “the library system oughta hold out for a higher price.”

As part of their campaign against Bezos' name on the auditorium, activists are urging residents to send a message to the library's Board of Trustees and tell it to reverse its decision. They are also encouraging people to sign up to testify on Feb. 9 at noon before the D.C. Council’s Committee on Recreation, Libraries and Youth Affairs.