Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts stated this past week that she is in favor of changing one of Uptown Charlotte’s busiest streets due to its Confederate-rooted history.
At an NAACP forum this past Tuesday, Mayor Roberts commented:
“I absolutely support renaming Stonewall Street. As I’ve said for years, Confederate monuments belong in museums, not in places of public prominence. We should evaluate the names we are making prominent in our public square, and this issue is worthy of council discussion.”
JUST IN: #Charlotte Mayor @JenRobertsNC just sent me this statement. She says, “Yes, I absolutely support renaming #Stonewall Street.” pic.twitter.com/Dzc7RFAdYr
— Caroline Fountain (@FountainFox46) August 23, 2017
Uptown Charlotte’s Stonewall Street is named after Confederate Gen. Thomas Stonewall Jackson. The family formed an especially strong historical connection to Charlotte when the General’s wife, Mary Stonewall, moved to Charlotte in 1873.
Mayor Robert’s closest competitor in the upcoming mayoral race, Democrat State Sen. Joel Ford, also thinks that the street name should be changed.
“I don’t want to forget our history, but I don’t think we should celebrate our Confederacy that was treasonous and un-American at best,” Ford noted.
Republican city council candidate, Parker Cains, spoke out against the possible name change, saying that he thinks Mayor Roberts cares more about national issues than local ones.
“I think Charlotte has much bigger issues than renaming streets,” commented Cains.
Within the Charlotte city limits, a street name change either requires 75% approval of the people living on that street, or a majority vote by the City Council. Given the Democratic majority on our city council, the name change would likely be approved if our mayor decides to move forward with it.
Do you think the name of Stonewall St. should be changed?