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FILE PHOTO: Roberto Roldan/VPM
Jefferson Davis Highway will soon be renamed, as Richmond continues to remove public honors for Confederate leaders.
Richmond City Council voted unanimously Monday night to change the name of U.S. Route 1 to Richmond Highway. The decision applies only to the portion of the road within city limits. The city also voted to permanently remove a statue to Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy, from Monument Avenue after protesters toppled it back in June.
Charles Willis, the president of the Jefferson Davis Neighborhood Association, told VPM earlier this year that he supports the name change. Willis added the name of the highway clashes with the character of the surrounding neighborhoods, largely comprised of Black and Latino residents.