Alexandria City Council taking steps to rename, rededicate Confederate street names

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (DC News Now) — City leaders in Alexandria are taking steps toward renaming several streets that were named after Confederate generals.

The city council naming committee held a public hearing to gather feedback from neighbors.

While it seemed to most people who spoke up Thursday were in favor of getting rid of the connotations of some of these street names, they wanted more of a rededication instead of completely changing these names for fear of the financial impact.

For some, the emotional impact for a lot of these people who have lived here for decades. The naming committee made recommendations to change or rededicate four street names. One of them is Early Street, which many locals think of as the time, not the Confederate general.

“I would ask that there’s a resolution issue that keeps that name and gives it a different reading that’s not related to the Civil War,” one resident said in the hearing.

It comes 70 years after a city ordinance renamed north and south streets after Confederate military leaders.

An inventory found that 21 streets were renamed through a 1953 ordinance. Another 20 streets are named for Confederate soldiers but not identified in that ordinance and 26 street names may be tied to Confederate soldiers.

“We support this effort to now go back to being name in the streets after someone that we all can be proud of,” William Campbell, education chair of the NAACP Alexandria chapter, said.

“I think the city has been quite judicious with how they’re trying to rename the streets. They’re trying to identify the ones that make sense,” Campbell added.

$60,000 a year is being allocated for name changes but that does not include help for neighbors needing to change important documents.

“We’ve tried to lay that out for individuals and businesses on the website what things they do need to change, what things they don’t need to change because there are some myths out there as well,” said Councilmember John Chapman.

The council will have the option to completely change some street names, including North Breckinridge Place, or remove a letter to change the meaning, in the case of Forrest Street.

“There’s still opportunity for people to engage, whether it’s in email or otherwise, and let us know their thoughts on the potential street naming,” Chapman said.

The recommendations made will go before the full council on Jan. 9 and then there will be another public hearing on Jan. 20 before any final decisions are made.