“Our predecessors used street naming policies as a form of permanent protest against the burgeoning civil rights movement and growing political power for African-Americans. As a symbol, these honors persist today, honoring virulent racists, many of whom took up arms against our nation. These honors are not defensible and should be removed. While it is important to remove these inappropriate honors, it is also important to consider the practical concerns, as thousands of Alexandria residents and visitors use these existing street names to navigate our community. As such, I believe a reasonable, yet deliberate pace of renaming these streets over time should be embarked upon.” - Alexandria Mayor Justin M. Wilson

On January 10, 2023, Mayor Justin Wilson introduced a proposal to rename streets in the City that are named for Confederate officers. Many of these streets were named in 1953 through an ordinance (No. 769)that specifically stated that “streets running in a generally north-south direction shall, insofar as possible, bear the names of Confederate military leaders.” This ordinance was approved one year following the annexation of Alexandria’s West End (west of Quaker Lane), where many streets in the City had not yet been developed nor been named. This ordinance also came to be in anticipation of the landmark Supreme Court Case of Brown v. Board of Education – a defining point in the Civil Rights Movement, which, as the Southern Poverty Law Center stated in a 2016 report, “led to a backlash among segregationists,” including the naming of streets and civic buildings for Confederates.

City Staff have developed a list of all the streets named for Confederate officers in the City, including their original name (if the street existed prior to 1953), and the year of the change, as also documented in City Code Sec. 5-2-62. A few of these streets were named for Confederates prior to 1953. The list also includes streets that are potentially named for Confederates, though unverified. View a map of the streets and the # of addresses on each. The Naming Committee will use these documents to determine its prioritization for street renamings. The Committee will also consider how many residents and businesses will be impacted and the length of the street.

Through this work, Council aims to increase the percentage of residents who feel openness and acceptance of the community toward diverse backgrounds, and decrease the gap (13.1%) between white (77%) and non-white residents (64%) in response to this question, as measured in the City’s annual resident survey.

In 2023, the City Council Naming Committee began the public process of renaming these streets. The City Council Naming Committee is currently comprised of three (3) members of City Council.

• Councilman John Taylor Chapman, Chair
• Councilman Abdel Elnoubi
• Councilwoman Jacinta Greene

To be deliberate and efficient with resources, the Committee will select three to five streets per phase, as outlined in the timeline below. 

To provide feedback on the process, please click here.

• September 24, 2025: The City Council Naming Committee met on September 24, 2025 to receive staff recommendations on Phase 2.  During this meeting, the Naming Committee directed staff to take the following actions:
  • Proceed with a City Council name rededication of Calhoun Street, Stevens Street, and Frost Street, as identified in the staff recommendations. This process does not have any impact or require any change of address for city residents.
  • Proceed with a public process to rename Iverson Street to Edmonson Street. This would include community engagement, a Naming Committee Public Hearing, and a City Council Public Hearing before the City Council considers any change. Details of this process will be published at the end of 2025.
  • Explore a strategy and timeline for restoring Beauregard Street to its original name, South Walter Reed Drive. This research will help inform future decisions, though there is no further action proposed at this time.

• April – September 2023: The Historic Alexandria Resources Commission (HARC) developed a list, with the support of the Office of Historic Alexandria, of individuals and locations worthy of honor by the City. As requested by the Mayor, the Commission gave special attention to inclusion of historically marginalized populations, such as women and BIPOC communities (as well as events and locations significant to populations that have been historically marginalized throughout our history), who have frequently been ignored through history. Additionally, the Commission considered street names that had been retired previously.
• May 1, 2023: The Naming Committee held a meeting to review the scope of work in advance of City Council legislative session.
• May 23, 2023: At the second legislative session, the Naming Committee brought the scope of work to City Council for their awareness of the process.
• September 28, 2023:
  • The Naming Committee met to discuss and select its three prioritized street renaming for 2023.  At this meeting, HARC provided their list of potential names and the Naming Committee selected its top three for consideration. This meeting included a public comment period.
  • Following the meeting, staff issued a public feedback form for community members to suggest names. Any names from the community must have included: (1) the justification for the proposed name and (2) documentation on a community-led meeting to discuss the name. Feedback forms may also have included recommendations from representatives in the community, such as a community organization (HOA/Civic Association), and an explanation of any additional information on a community outreach process.
  • Property owners on the street received a postcard in advance of the next Naming Committee meeting and City Council public hearings.
• November 30, 2023: The City Council’s Naming Committee held a public hearing in Council Chambers at City Hall at 6 p.m. After receiving the Naming Committee’s recommendation, City Council considered street name changes and corresponding ordinance at the January 9, 2024, City Council Legislative Meeting and January 20, 2024, City Council Public Hearing. Staff then began the process of address, system, and signage changes.
• January 9, 2024: City Council held a legislative meeting to consider the Naming Committee’s recommendations and determine what proposals to consider at its January 20 public hearing.
• January 20, 2024: City Council took public comment and voted to rename three streets and rededicate a fourth, which took effect in June.  

September 24, 2025 - City Hall, 301 King Street Room 1900 (first floor) at 6 p.m.

• Agenda (corrected)

October 30, 2024 - City Hall, 301 King Street Room 1900 (first floor) at 6 p.m.

Agenda

1. `Updates and Lessons learned from Year 1
2. Process for Year 2
   1. Streets and Name selection
   2. Public Process
   3. Logistics
3. Other Items

September 25, 2024 City Council Naming Committee Meeting (Cancelled)

April 8, 2024 City Council Naming Committee Meeting (Cancelled)

January 20, 2024 City Council Public Hearing - 9:30 a.m., City Hall, Council Chamber, 301 King Street

• Meeting Video
• Docket
• Action Docket

January 9, 2024 City Council Meeting

• Meeting Docket & Video

November 30, 2023 City Council Naming Committee Public Hearing - 6 p.m., City Hall, Council Chamber, 301 King St.

• Public Hearing Video
• Agenda
• Confederate Street Renaming Survey Responses(11-30-2023)
• Please Register in Advance to participate virtually. (Webinar ID: 959 9890 8423 / Webinar Passcode: 298950)

September 28, 2023 City Council Naming Committee

• Agenda  (revised 9/27/23)
• Meeting Information
• Meeting Presentation
• Summary Minutes

May 23, 2023 City Council Naming Committee

• Meeting Packet(updated 5/19/23)

May 1, 2023 City Council Naming Committee

• Meeting Packet
• Meeting Recording

March 6, 2023 City Council Naming Committee

• Meeting Packet