The Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Confederate Memorials and Street Names, which was established by Alexandria City Council in September 2015, submitted its final report to City Council on August 18, 2016.  The Advisory Group issued recommendations on the four topics City Council directed it to consider, and concluded as follows:

1. The Appomattox statute on South Washington Street should remain in place, with additional efforts made to add context to its story;
2. The name of Jefferson Davis Highway in the City of Alexandria should be changed;
3. Rather than a wholesale renaming of streets in the City named after Confederate figures, individual requests for new names should be considered by City Council if brought under existing processes; and
4. No further action is needed with regard to a specific policy on flying of any flags on property owned or under the control of the City.

The Advisory Group received more than 150 comments through its online feedback form and heard more than 60 speakers at its five public meetings.

City Council received the Advisory Group's report at its meeting on September 13, 2016, and considered the report as part of its public hearing meeting on September 17, 2016.  After receiving public comment, City Council voted unanimously to direct the City Manager to begin the process of renaming Jefferson Davis Highway in Alexandria, by creating a robust community engagement process, which may include Arlington County.  (Details about the process are available at www.alexandriava.gov/JeffersonDavisHighway.) City Council decided not to take action on any other street names, agreeing with the Advisory Group that individual requests for street name changes should be considered if brought by residents under existing processes.

City Council also directed staff to initiate a discussion with the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC), which owns Appomattox, regarding the possibility of moving the statue from the middle of the street to the edge, on the lawn of The Lyceum.  UDC declined to participate in an attempt to change the two state laws prohibiting the state from being moved.  City Council included a request to change the laws in its formal legislative agenda for the 2017 General Assembly session, but the General Assembly declined to take action.  City Council included the request again in its 2020 legislative agenda, and this time the Governor and General Assembly agreed to amend the laws (see the identical Senate and House versions), effective July 1, 2020. On June 1, 2020, UDC notified the City of its intent to remove the statue the next day, and a UDC contractor removed the statue on June 2.

Click here to view the City Council meeting discussion and docket information, and use the “Jump To” menu to go to Docket Item #13.

On September 29, 2015, City Council unanimously passed a resolution to establish an Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Confederate Memorials and Street Names.  The resolution directed the City Manager to appoint the seven members of the Advisory Group, with two members appointed at-large and one member appointed from each of the Alexandria Human Rights Commission, the Historic Alexandria Resources Commission, the Alexandria Society for the Preservation of Black Heritage, the Alexandria Planning Commission, and the Alexandria Transportation Commission.

The functions of the Advisory Group were to:

1. Attend scheduled Advisory Group meetings, which shall be open to the public
2. Bring community values, knowledge, and ideas into its discussions and considerations
3. Develop recommendations on actions, if any, that it believes City Council should consider with respect to:
   • the status of the Appomattox statue on South Washington Street
   • the name of Jefferson Davis Highway in the City of Alexandria
   • the names of the many streets within the City that are named after Confederate generals and military leaders
   • a specific policy on flying of any flags on property owned or under the control of the City*
4. Hold one or more public hearings to solicit comments from the public on the issues relating to Confederate memorials

* On September 8, 2015, City Council voted unanimously to prohibit the flying of the Confederate flag on City property on Robert E. Lee's Birthday and on Confederate Memorial Day.

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

• Meeting Agenda
• Meeting Summary
• Meeting Video
• Establishing Resolution*
• Policy Concerning Flying of the Confederate Flag* (1991)
• Policy on the Hanging of Flags on City Structures* (2004)
• Inventory of Confederate Memorials, Names and Symbols* (2015) (see also revised inventory under the Feb. 8 meeting)
• Letter from Mary Custis Lee-17th Virginia Regiment Chapter #7, United Daughters of the Confederacy (January 20, 2016) 
• Public Feedback Received Through January 27, 2016
• "Alexandria in the Civil War" Presentation by Lance Mallamo, Director, Office of Historic Alexandria (January 27, 2016)
  * On September 8, 2015, City Council voted unanimously to prohibit the flying of the Confederate flag on City property on Robert E. Lee's Birthday and on Confederate Memorial Day.

Monday, February 8, 2016

• Meeting Agenda
• Meeting Summary
• Meeting Video
• Public Feedback Received January 28, 2016, through February 8, 2016 (5:30 p.m.)
• Inventory of Confederate Street Names (Revised February 8, 2016)
• Cost of Replacing Street Signs

Monday, March 28, 2016

• Meeting Agenda
• Meeting Summary
• Meeting Video
• Public Feedback Received February 8, 2016 (5:30 p.m.), through March 28, 2016 (6 p.m.)
• Walker v. Texas Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans

Monday, April 11, 2016

• Meeting Agenda
• Draft Meeting Summary
• Meeting Video
• Public Feedback Received March 28, 2016 (6 p.m.), through April 11, 2016
• Letter from Mary Custis Lee-17th Virginia Regiment Chapter #7, United Daughters of the Confederacy (April 7, 2016)
• Email from Advisory Group Member Ruth Brannigan (April 9, 2016)

Monday, June 13, 2016

• Draft Meeting Agenda
• Draft Report (June 6, 2016)
  (This draft is a starting point for the Advisory Group's recommendations and was discussed by the Advisory Group at its meeting on June 13.  The final report is linked from the top of this page.)
• Meeting Video
• Public Feedback Received April 12, 2016 through June 13, 2016 (6 p.m.)

After soliciting applicants for the two at-large positions, and recommendations by commission chairs for commission representatives, the City Manager appointed the following members to the Advisory Group:

• Mary Lyman, Chair (representing the Planning Commission)
• Ruth Brannigan (at-large)
• Molly Fannon (at-large)
• Elizabeth McCall (representing the Historic Alexandria Resources Commission)
• James Lewis (representing the Transportation Commission)
• LaDonna Sanders (representing the Human Rights Commission)
• Eugene Thompson (representing the Society for the Preservation of Black Heritage)