After years of debate, officials in Arlington County, Virginia - located just across the river from Washington, D.C. - this week began removing street signs bearing the name of the leader of the Confederacy, as Jefferson Davis Highway is being renamed Richmond Highway.
"Jefferson Davis had no connection to this area," said Christian Dorsey, head of the Arlington County Board in Virginia, as he said the use of the name of Davis was nothing more than an effort to promote white supremacy in a state which led the defense of slavery and the Confederacy.
"It's about time," said Libby Garvey, another member of the Arlington County Board.
The name change comes as some cities and counties in Virginia have been dealing in recent years with multiple requests to change the name of schools or streets bearing the names of Confederate military leaders.
Also in Arlington, Virginia, officials got rid of the moniker Washington-Lee High School - named in part for the famous Confederate General - and instead named the school Washington-Liberty High School.
In Richmond, an elementary school once named for J.E.B. Stuart was renamed for President Barack Obama.
In 2018, J.E.B. Stuart High School in the Washington suburb of Fairfax County, Virginia, was renamed Justice High School.
That school was originally named in 1959 - during a time of heightened controversy in the U.S. over race relations.
Change is also coming on Confederate statues on display in the U.S. Capitol, where each state is allowed to honor two people.
The state of Florida plans to replace the statue of Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith with one of Mary McLoed Bethune - a civil rights activist and educator.
"Florida is proud to submit this request," wrote Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) earlier this year.
About the Author
