The City Council of Alexandria, Virginia, voted on Saturday to remove the name of former Confederate President Jefferson Davis from the city’s Jefferson Davis Highway after considering the change for three years.
With the 6-0 vote, the council members voted to rename the roadway, Fox News reported.
The name deemed “offensive” will be removed as of January first of 2019, the council ruled. The replacement name will likely be “Richmond Highway.”
The city will pay roughly $27,000 for new signs and other related expenses to rename the road, reports say.
Alexandria Mayor Allison Silberberg insisted that the name change was necessary.
“It speaks to who we are. That we are a city of kindness and compassion, a city where we’re not just tolerant but embracing and accepting where diversity is a core value,” Silberberg told WJLA, Washington.
“I think now in 2018 we can move forward. This is a very modern city committed to inclusiveness,” Silberberg added.
The city has been debating and studying the name change since 2015 when the council created an ad hoc advisory committee on the topic.
Jefferson Davis Highway in Alexandria gets a name change. After a city council vote this afternoon, it will be called Richmond Highway. This has been years in the making. pic.twitter.com/yg4QikAfif
— Victoria Sanchez (@VictoriaSanchez) June 23, 2018
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.
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