Confederate Street Renamings Head To Final City Council Review In Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Renamings of Alexandria streets with references to Confederate figures will be up for an Alexandria City Council decision Saturday.

Streets being considered for renamings are North Breckinridge Place, Forrest Street, North Early Street and South Early Street. North Jordan Street, South Jordan Street and Jordan Court would not be renamed but instead rededicated in honor of Thomasina Jordan, the first Native American in the U.S. Electoral College who was later an Alexandria resident.

North Breckinridge Place would be renamed in honor of Harriet Jacobs, an African American abolitionist who published "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl." The current street name refers to John Cabell Breckinridge, who was a U.S. vice president who later was Secretary of War for the Confederate States.

Forrest Street would be renamed Forest Street, as the current street name refers to either Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest or Confederate Navy Commander French Forrest.

North Early Street and South Early Street would be renamed for Charity Earley, who was the first African American woman to be in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps and commanded the first African American female battalion serving abroad during World War II. The current name of Early Street refers to Jubal A. Early, a Confederate brigadier general.

The current Jordan street names refer to Confederate Brigadier General Thomas Jordan.

Thomasina Jordan and Charity Earley were community suggestions that got support in a survey of residents affected by the street renamings and residents who testified at the City Council Naming Committee's Nov. 29 public hearing.

At 40 streets in Alexandria have Confederate names based on Office of Historic Alexandria research, and other street names are being evaluated for potential Confederate references. Many of these streets were named under a 1953 ordinance to establish street names honoring Confederate military officials for north-south running streets.

Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson had proposed a new process to streamline renamings of streets with Confederate references in early 2023. Under the renaming process, three streets will be renamed each year after public hearings. The process is expected to take 15 years due to the number of streets with Confederate references.

The first streets for renaming were recommended 3-0 by City Council's Naming Committee, made up of Councilmembers John Taylor Chapman, Sarah Bagley and Alyia Gaskins. The renaming recommendations go to the full City Council in January. City Council approved first reading of the proposal on Jan. 9, and a final vote will happen after a public hearing from approximately 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 20 in City Council chambers.

Residents who would like to speak about the proposal can sign up online or through a paper form in the Council Chambers. The meeting will be broadcast on government channel 70 and streamed on the city’s website. Those who wish to tune in virtually can register for a reminder and Zoom link. A recording will be available on the city's website in the days after the meeting. Disability accommodations can be requested by contacting Anna.McClure@alexandriava.gov or call 703-746-3148, Virginia Relay 711.