New Orleans City Council Votes To Rename Robert E. Lee Blvd After Musician Allen Toussaint
A New Orleans boulevard named after Confederate General Robert E. Lee will be renamed.
According to CNN, on Jan. 6, a New Orleans City Council voted unanimously to change the name of Robert E. Lee Boulevard, which goes through the northern part of New Orleans, to Allen Toussaint Boulevard. Toussaint is a legendary New Orleans performer, producer and songwriter who died in 2015.
Councilmember Jared C. Brossett said in a statement to CNN, "The City of New Orleans should prioritize celebrating our culture bearers, our diversity, and everything that makes our City special, not those who worked to tear us apart and represent a horrible history of racism that we are still dealing with today.”
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The statement continued, "Allen Toussaint is a New Orleans native and world-renowned musician. He represents the very best of our city, and I am proud to take this step toward honoring his legacy.”
Robert E. Lee led the Confederate army during the Civil War from 1861 to 1865, in which Southern states seceded from the United States over upholding slavery. He surrendered along with his 28,000 troops at Appomattox, Va., in April 1865 to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.
The new name goes into effect Feb. 1.