20 years ago, IN THIS CENTURY, the Fredericksburg, VA city council named more than a dozen streets in the Idlewild subdivision after Confederate generals, along with two streets named after families who once owned property here and who enslaved other people. None of the streets in Idlewild were named for the enslaved people who were forced to work the lands. One two-block street may have been named after a Union general. It's time we stopped honoring these Confederate men and families--in Idlewild and elsewhere in the city--who fought to maintain the institution of slavery, and who professed their belief in white supremacy. The Commonwealth of Virginia has finally come around to changing the name of Route 1 from Jefferson Davis Highway. The City has embraced a new Civil Rights Trail honoring the events and people who were important to our march for inclusivity and equality. Getting rid of these Confederate street names is the obvious next step for the honor and integrity and shared values of our community. You can read more HERE if you'd like.