I would like to commend Jimm Roberts on his recent letter and add my thoughts. Why not just declare — publicly and often — that street names “honoring” Confederates are no longer associated with those individuals (they are, after all, very common surnames!), and just declare them generic names, albeit in search of worthy namesakes. To cite just one example, the name Lee is owned by many Asians and even some Norwegians; obliterating the name dishonors them. I am also appalled at the council’s high-handed decision to just move ahead with the changes, stating that it’s just too cumbersome to survey the many residents who would be massively inconvenienced by a name change (imagine the lost bills, magazines, greeting cards, invitations, since, inevitably, important notifications will be forgotten!) I cannot imagine the effort it would take to change just my address; multiply that by the number of residents of affected streets. The mind boggles.
Jane Bourdow
Alexandria