South Fulton city council members will consider Tuesday approving a task force to rename streets associated with the Confederacy.
Elected leaders of the city — where more than 90 percent of the roughly 100,000 residents identify as Black — would appoint eight members to the six-month task force. Members will work with a historical preservation committee to research streets names associated with racist and Confederate ideals.
The conversation around Confederate imagery and iconography has increased over the last decade, sometimes locally resulting in demonstrations and lawsuits.
The task force will “ensure that street names linked to this painful era in American History that is associated with the Confederacy are identified and removed,” according to the proposed resolution.
“City Council believes it is important to determine which streets within the City may symbolize racism because of slavery and the lasting socio-economic harm associated with the Civil War and the Confederacy which is a constant and painful reminder to the residents of the City,” the resolution reads.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms changed “Confederate Avenue” to “United Avenue” in October 2018.
The South Fulton City Council meeting begins at 4 p.m. and can be viewed on the city’s YouTube page, https://www.youtube.com/c/CityofSouthFulton/.
Credit: WSBTV Videos
