The Center for Jubilee, Reconciliation and Healing filed a petition to the city on Monday to rename Calhoun Square to Jubilee Square, the culmination of months of work, research and education, founder Patt Gunn said.
Initially, the group, founded by Gunn and Rosalyn Rouse, were looking to change the names of two squares, Whitefield and Calhoun, which are located on cemeteries once used to bury both free and enslaved people of color.
Gunn said Monday that changing the name of Whitefield Square is still a goal, but they’re looking to focus on Calhoun Square for now. Baby steps, she said.
To do justice to new emphases on equity, inclusion and historical authenticity, leaders need formal policies savannahnow.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from savannahnow.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Savannah Morning News
Savannah s squares are, in many ways, a portal to the past more than green spaces, they are a mostly-untarnished window to the nearly 288-year history of the oldest city in Georgia.
But history isn t always comfortable. Contemporary values rarely resemble those of the past, and after a few hundred years of social change, prominent historic figures and the ideas they represent come to be viewed by some as antiquated, unethical, or in some cases, offensive.
Last summer, the U.S. was faced with a racial reckoning. Following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, protests around the country led to calls to remove several Confederate monuments.
Advocates citing slavery want new names for Savannah squares Follow Us
Question of the Day By - Associated Press - Sunday, December 27, 2020
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - Two promoters of African-American history want to rename two of Savannah’s historic squares, saying they’re currently named for people who promoted slavery.
Patt Gunn and Rosalyn Rouse tell the Savannah Morning News they will seek historic markers in Calhoun and Whitefield squares, noting slaves were buried in each.
They hope to rename Calhoun Square to Sankofa Square. The Sankofa bird is a Ghanaian symbol expressing the importance of knowing one’s history, the word itself translating to “go back and fetch it.”