Address changes could be in store for area businesses located on Jefferson Davis Highway.
Supervisor Margaret Franklin has asked county staff to start the highway’s renaming process, according to a release from the Woodbridge District Supervisor Office.
“As the country is grappling with racial tension, we should use this as an opportunity to start the healing process. It is unacceptable that in 2020 we continue to have landmarks and roads that honor the treacherous, dark past of racism and slavery,” Franklin, Board of County Supervisors (BOCS) chair pro temp, said in a release. “As one of the first black women to be elected to the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, I will stand up against these symbols of hatred.”
Named after former Confederacy President Jefferson Davis, the highway travels through the Potomac District and Woodbridge District.
“It is time as a county, and specifically as a nation, that we move forward from the past! Past reminders of devastation, hurt, pain, and sorrow should be simply that … the past!” Potomac District Supervisor Andrea Bailey said in a release. “To be a whole community we can’t just speak action we must be about action for everyone. This change will breed positivity for the future and closure to a dark past.”
So far, Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax have changed the name.
Officials must receive approval from the Virginia Commonwealth Transportation Board and feedback from businesses.
