Alexandria renames streets currently named for Confederate leaders
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (DC News Now) — On Saturday, the Alexandria City Council voted to rename three streets named for Confederate leaders, and rededicate a fourth.
Effective June 20th, North Breckinridge Place will be renamed Harriet Jacobs Place, in honor of an African American abolitionist who established the first Free school for African American children in Alexandria.
Early Street will be renamed Earley Street, to honor Charity Earley, a pioneer for African Americans in the U.S. Army.
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Forrest Street will be renamed Forest Street, and Jordan Street will remain Jordan Street, but will be rededicated to honor Thomasina Jordan, an Alexandria resident who was the first Native American to serve in the U.S. Electoral College.
While city officials and Alexandrians commended the change, voicing support for ending street-naming honors for Confederate leaders, some people expressed concern the changes would have negative impacts.
Michelle Poley, who runs a business on Early Street, said she supports taking the honor away from Confederate Jubal Early, though she wishes it was keeping its same spelling.
“With the name change, even with a spelling change, all of our incorporation letters, all of our state licenses, our tax information, all has to be changed,” she said. “Our business banking, our accounts with our vendors all have to be changed — at a cost.”
Early Street resident Brian McPherson had similar views, citing concerns that an elderly man in his neighborhood may have trouble with some of the changes.
“There are ways to make it less intrusive, less disruptive,” he said. “Accomplishing the goal of no longer referring to it as something that goes back to Jubal Early without this entire new name change.”
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Councilman Kirk McPike said he believed the change was “a challenge that we can handle in a way that truly handles the deleterious impact on the lives of our residents.”
According to the city’s website, the city is taking responsibility for making changes to residents and businesses on these streets with: the U.S. Postal Service, personal property taxes, land records and permits, utilities, voter registrations, schools and emergency services.
However, residents and businesses are responsible for changing documentation through the Department of Motor Vehicles, passports, IRS records, wills and trusts, Social Security, financials, insurance and subscriptions.
The city has identified a few dozen additional streets named for former Confederate military officials, and it plans to continue its renaming process.
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