Thich Nhat Hanh lived at 306 West 109th Street from 1962 to 1963 while studying and teaching at Union Theological Seminary (UTS) and Columbia University. This period marked a formative chapter in his life as a young scholar, teacher, and activist.

The street co-naming takes on added historical resonance as it coincides closely with the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War — a conflict during which Thich Nhat Hanh, born in Vietnam in 1926 and affectionately known as “Thay” by his students, was exiled for his outspoken advocacy for peace and reconciliation.

His efforts to end the violence led Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967, calling him “an Apostle of peace and nonviolence.” Over the decades, his teachings and writings on mindfulness and compassion have reached millions around the world, earning him recognition as “The Father of Mindfulness.”