Mayor Kasim Reed has named an advisory committee to review street names and city-owned monuments linked to the Confederacy in the city of Atlanta. The committee members will evaluate each street name and marker and recommend how the community can be involved in the process to determine the handling of each landmark.
“The tragic events in Charlottesville, Virginia brought renewed attention to Confederate markers and street names around the country, with many elected officials, clergy and members of the public calling for their removal. To ensure that we approach this in a thoughtful manner, and that we include community input in the process, my Administration and the Atlanta City Council worked to assemble a group of advisors to consider each marker,” said Mayor Reed. “The members of the committee will convene for the first time and initiate the reviewal process.”
The Atlanta City Council recently passed a resolution granting Mayor Reed authority to name six members to the committee and the council to name five members. The Atlanta City Council voted to appoint all the members during a meeting earlier this month.
Members of the committee include:
Sheffield Hale, president and CEO, Atlanta History Center;
Derreck Kayongo, CEO, Center for Civil and Human Rights;
Sonji Jacobs, senior director of Corporate Affairs, Cox Enterprises;
Dan Moore, founder, APEX Museum;
Shelley Rose, senior associate director, Southeast Region, Anti-Defamation League;
Larry Gallerstedt, CEO, Cousins Properties; Trustee, Robert Woodruff Foundation;
Douglas Blackmon, senior fellow and director of Public Programs, University of Virginia’s Miller Center; Pulitzer Prize-winning author;
Nina Gentry, owner, Gentry Planning Services;
Regina Brewer, preservation consultant;
Martha Porter Hall, community advocate;
Brenda Muhammad, executive director, Atlanta Victim Assistance.
The committee also plans to solicit feedback from historians, business leaders and residents to provide context and perspective for the landmarks in the city limits.
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