South Fulton task force will review street names with ties to the Confederacy
SOUTH FULTON, Ga. - The South Fulton City Council voted Tuesday to create a task force that will take a look at street names and names of buildings that have ties to the Confederacy or racism.
"I was approached by several members of the community for a few years now about changing some of the names of the streets that represent the confederacy here in our city," said City Council Member Carmalitha Gumbs.
The resolution says the lasting ramifications of the Civil War and the Confederacy are a constant and painful reminder to the residents of the city.
"If you walk through the graveyard throughout our city, you'll see their last names on their gravestones, named after our streets. The graves go back to the 1800s, so that is during the Confederacy era," said City Council Member Helen Z. Willis.
The task force will be made up of eight community members who represent each district within the city.
They will be appointed by city council members and the positions will be unpaid.
The task force will do its research and work with the historical preservation committee for the next 6 months and then present their recommendations to the City Council.
"We will have to decide with the community and the council the appropriate names for the streets so they will not be bringing us names," Willis said.
This isn't the first time a city has changed street names tied to the Confederacy.
Atlanta changed several street names in 2018.
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