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City of Charlotte announces new name of Jefferson Davis Street

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — (AP) — The city of Charlotte has begun efforts to rename nine streets that were previously named for people identified as Confederate leaders and white supremacists. The names were recommended by the Druid Hills community and vetted by a historian.

A news release from the city Wednesday announced that Jefferson Davis Street, located in a predominantly Black neighborhood on the city’s north side, would be changed to Druid Hills Way. The changes follow approval from the Charlotte City Council in February to adopt recommendations from a commission to rename streets.

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The news release says city staff began contacting residents in June, inviting them to provide feedback and new name recommendations in a survey. There were 17 suggested names that met the new criteria recommended by the Charlotte Legacy Commission and which led to Druid Hills Way, which was the choice of 55% of those responding to the survey.

The new street name will be effective Sept. 24, and a public unveiling of the new Druid Hills Way street signs is planned for Sept. 25, the news release said.

[’What do we celebrate?’: Charlotte City Council to consider changes to 10 street names]

In addition, Phifer Avenue will become Montford Point Street in honor of the North Carolina Marine base where Blacks trained because of policies that prevented them from training with whites.

Davis served as president of the Confederacy from 1861 until 1865. The Charlotte Legacy Commission said William Phifer, who came to Charlotte in 1852, owned nearly 30 slaves. His home served as headquarters for a Confederate general near the end of the Civil War and hosted the last meeting of the Confederate Cabinet, a meeting which included Davis.

Other streets designated for a name change include Stonewall Street, which goes through a portion of downtown Charlotte, Jackson Avenue and Aycock Lane.

Here were the street names that residents got to choose from:

  • Alice Parker Street
  • Charles Drew Drive
  • Charlie Sifford Street
  • Civil Street
  • Diversity Drive
  • Druid Hills Way
  • Honeycrisp Street
  • Jane Hinton Road
  • Martin Malcolm Way
  • Northern Land Avenue
  • Reformation Street
  • Rocky Street
  • Sarah Boone Street
  • Sarah E Good Street
  • Sojourner Truth Street
  • Thunder Street
  • Willie J Stratford Street

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