Connecting Fairfax City's Past and Present to Build a More Equitable and Inclusive Future

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On July 12, 2022, City Council voted to change the names of 14 streets as recommended by the Stakeholder Advisory Group. Watch the meeting.

UPDATE July 12, 2022: City Council voted to change 14 street names. Watch the meeting. If you would like to submit names for consideration, please complete the survey. 

Connecting Fairfax City for All

The City of Fairfax recognizes there is strength in diversity and acknowledges the need for a broader community conversation around the issues of racial and social equity, systemic racism, symbolism, and identity.

Confederate Lane and Plantation Pkwy signsNomenclature in the City of Fairfax
Evolving views about who and what should be memorialized in public spaces and on public land present an opportunity for the City of Fairfax to examine its nomenclature. Confederate-related street and place names, historical markers and monuments, and elements in the city seal will be discussed in the context of how these symbols reflect the City Council’s goals of inclusivity and building community.

City residents are invited to participate in thought-provoking conversations that connect current realities with the city’s historical past. Ultimately, through a series of listening and learning opportunities, the goal is to connect the present to a more equitable and inclusive future for all city residents, businesses, and visitors.

“This initiative, endorsed by the City Council, holds great promise for our city residents to engage with each other with respect, compassion, and an openness to learning and gaining a greater understanding of each other,” said City of Fairfax Mayor David Meyer. “This is an opportunity for all of us to discern what actions we may take to create a preferred future that is inclusive and more just and equitable.”

Partnership with George Mason University
To accomplish this work, the city has partnered with the George Mason University Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. Working with the Carter School, the city has outlined a process to listen to community voices, engage the community in learning sessions and structured, facilitated discussions, and will form a diverse working group to make recommendations on action items and identify areas for further community discussion. City Council will consider the recommendations in 2021 before making decisions regarding the city’s nomenclature.

Please explore this project site, drop a pin on the map, share your ideas, tell your story, or leave a comment. Click on the social media icons to share with others.

UPDATE July 12, 2022: City Council voted to change 14 street names. Watch the meeting. If you would like to submit names for consideration, please complete the survey. 

Connecting Fairfax City for All

The City of Fairfax recognizes there is strength in diversity and acknowledges the need for a broader community conversation around the issues of racial and social equity, systemic racism, symbolism, and identity.

Confederate Lane and Plantation Pkwy signsNomenclature in the City of Fairfax
Evolving views about who and what should be memorialized in public spaces and on public land present an opportunity for the City of Fairfax to examine its nomenclature. Confederate-related street and place names, historical markers and monuments, and elements in the city seal will be discussed in the context of how these symbols reflect the City Council’s goals of inclusivity and building community.

City residents are invited to participate in thought-provoking conversations that connect current realities with the city’s historical past. Ultimately, through a series of listening and learning opportunities, the goal is to connect the present to a more equitable and inclusive future for all city residents, businesses, and visitors.

“This initiative, endorsed by the City Council, holds great promise for our city residents to engage with each other with respect, compassion, and an openness to learning and gaining a greater understanding of each other,” said City of Fairfax Mayor David Meyer. “This is an opportunity for all of us to discern what actions we may take to create a preferred future that is inclusive and more just and equitable.”

Partnership with George Mason University
To accomplish this work, the city has partnered with the George Mason University Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. Working with the Carter School, the city has outlined a process to listen to community voices, engage the community in learning sessions and structured, facilitated discussions, and will form a diverse working group to make recommendations on action items and identify areas for further community discussion. City Council will consider the recommendations in 2021 before making decisions regarding the city’s nomenclature.

Please explore this project site, drop a pin on the map, share your ideas, tell your story, or leave a comment. Click on the social media icons to share with others.

Share Your Story

Personal stories will be considered by the stakeholder group when making recommendations to the mayor and city council. Please share your experiences as they relate to racial and social equity in Fairfax City. 

Fairfax City has a rich history, dating back to the early 1700s when farmers settled in the area. The city began as the Town of Providence in 1805. The area became a crossroads of conflict during the Civil War. On June 1, 1861, the first land engagement of the war was fought here, resulting in the first death of a Confederate officer. The town's name was changed to the Town of Fairfax in 1874, and the independent City of Fairfax was incorporated in 1961. 

Connections to the past can be found in numerous historical markers and monuments located throughout the city, streets and places named for Civil War people and events, and in the city seal, which includes an image of a Confederate soldier. 

Evolving views about who and what should be memorialized in public spaces and on public land present an opportunity for the City of Fairfax to examine its nomenclature. To help reach a common understanding of how these symbols are perceived, we encourage you to share your story. Whether you have lived here for many years, moved here recently, or lived here and left, please share your thoughts about Confederate-related symbolism in the city. 

Thank you for sharing your story. Please explore the project site, leave a comment, and remain engaged in the conversation.

CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.
  • Share Child of Lee Highway on Facebook Share Child of Lee Highway on Twitter Share Child of Lee Highway on Linkedin Email Child of Lee Highway link

    Child of Lee Highway

    by Sharon E, almost 4 years ago

    My family moved to Northern Virginia from upstate New York when I was two years old. We lived in Falls Church (Fairfax County) and then Falls Church City. Both homes we lived in were a stone's throw from Lee Highway. Lee is a very common name, so I didn't think much about it when I was very young. As I got older and started learning about the Civil War in school, I realized the road was named after THAT Lee. And I wondered why. How could that be justified? After high school, I went to college in Connecticut. Though I... Continue reading

    My family moved to Northern Virginia from upstate New York when I was two years old. We lived in Falls Church (Fairfax County) and then Falls Church City. Both homes we lived in were a stone's throw from Lee Highway. Lee is a very common name, so I didn't think much about it when I was very young. As I got older and started learning about the Civil War in school, I realized the road was named after THAT Lee. And I wondered why. How could that be justified? After high school, I went to college in Connecticut. Though I got in to a school in VA, I knew I did not want to go to college in VA. I wanted to get out because my state showed me at many turns that it valued the Confederacy, and I did not feel safe in a state like that, no matter how awesome and diverse northern VA might be. That was 27 years ago. Northern VA is even more diverse now. The current citizens of Northern VA deserve more than streets named after Confederate leaders, soldiers, or anything related to the days of chattle slavery. It's time for Fairfax to catch up and do better.

  • Share Opinion from an immigrant on Facebook Share Opinion from an immigrant on Twitter Share Opinion from an immigrant on Linkedin Email Opinion from an immigrant link

    Opinion from an immigrant

    by A Mom, almost 5 years ago
    As an immigrant from a country ruled by a theocratic dictator, I know first hand the slippery slope of changing names and taking down monuments. When the Mullahs took over Iran, they worked hard to delete Iran's past. Not only do they exclude the real history (good and bad) from text books, but they only include information that fits their narrative. So even though Iran is NOW a dominantly Islamic country, there is little traces of the over 10,000 years of rich Zoroastrian history. You may not think that's controversial, but anything that's not about Islam is controversial to the... Continue reading
    As an immigrant from a country ruled by a theocratic dictator, I know first hand the slippery slope of changing names and taking down monuments. When the Mullahs took over Iran, they worked hard to delete Iran's past. Not only do they exclude the real history (good and bad) from text books, but they only include information that fits their narrative. So even though Iran is NOW a dominantly Islamic country, there is little traces of the over 10,000 years of rich Zoroastrian history. You may not think that's controversial, but anything that's not about Islam is controversial to the Mullahs. I learned 1000x more about Iran's history living in the U.S., than in Iran.


    How does this tie into Mosby Woods? As an actual resident of Mosby Woods, I can tell you the names did not affect me NOR my African American neighbor who bought his home here on Plantation nearly 40 years ago. The welcoming nature of the residents is what attracted us to Mosby Woods.

    John Mosby was around 30 when the Civil War ended. He did A LOT of good AFTER the Civil War, including being a key member of Reconstruction Era and helping elect Ulysses S Grant. He was friends in General Patton's parents and in his biography, it talks about how John Mosby would play Civil War reenactment and teach him about which strategies failed and succeeded on both sides. This inspired him to join the military and he used some of those lessons that Mosby taught him to defeat the Nazis.

    If everyone who lived well over 80, was judged by dumb decisions they made in their 20s, then many of our recent presidents wouldn't have been elected. Heck, most politicians wouldn't be in office.

    If you all choose to rename everything, then when are you all going to change the City's name? Lord Fairfax the 6th was much worse than Mosby could ever be. Not only did he own Hundreds of slaves, but he also Sold slaves.