In a move to make sure everyone knows Loudoun County is a welcoming inclusive community, county elected leaders have agreed to change some names and adjust a policy.
Everything involving a Confederate or segregationist figure, symbol or slogan will be removed from anything the Loudoun County government has control over. That includes roads, buildings, signs and other public infrastructure.
The board of supervisors’ vote on removing the symbols was unanimous. Changes also are being made to add like-minded language to the county ordinance that covers how new county roads get named.
“Having a name on a road school or structure is an honor that should be reserved for a very select few,” the Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall said in a news release.
“People who supported the enslavement of others, who raped, beat, and sold human beings have not earned the right to have their names enshrined in perpetuity on a road or structure,” Randall said.
“I’m proud of the unanimous, bipartisan votes by my colleagues to right this wrong. This is a morally correct decision and sends the message that Loudoun is now and will continue to be a welcoming inclusive county,” she continued.
Independent of moves to strip Confederate names off routes 7 and 50 currently underway, the new broader effort will begin with Jeb Stuart Road in the Philomont area, which has referenced Confederate General James Ewell Brown “Jeb” Stuart since 1962, and Fort Johnston Road west of the Town of Leesburg, that references a Civil War-era fort named for Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston.
