The petition, which was forwarded to Councilmembers Helena Moreno and Jason Williams, helped spur action on the name change. It shows the groundswell of support for rapid action on a long-awaited change.
"It's time that New Orleans let the nation know for once and for all that it has stepped out of the shadow of the Confederacy," said Mark Raymond Jr., who started the petition for the street name change through the A.P. Tureaud Legacy Committee. "I'm calling on prominent New Orleans citizens like Drew Brees to help with this effort, so he can show by his actions that our streets should reflect the names of those who have done the most for our city."
"Our history is littered with inflection points, times when the slow creep of progress is interrupted by a sudden burst forward towards justice. This is one of those times, and it's clear that the energy in the streets, in our communities, and around this country is driving us forward - forward to finally address systemic wounds that have gone untreated for far, far too long. I'm thankful to Mark Raymond and the A.P. Tureaud Legacy Committee for their advocacy and drive to push this issue forward," said Council President Williams.
"Now more than ever, change is coming from the bottom up. This is a wonderful example of the community rising and getting results," said Council Vice President Moreno. "I'm thankful to Mr. Raymond and the A.P. Tureaud, Sr. Legacy Committee for their tenacious advocacy on this matter. This is a small, yet important step to act on now, with so much more major work that lies before us in ending systemic racism."
Notable support in the renaming of Jefferson Davis Parkway to Norman C. Francis has been expressed in a recent op-ed by five New Orleans mayors: LaToya Cantrell, Mitch Landrieu, Marc Morial, Sidney Barthelemy and Moon Landrieu. Congressman Cedric Richmond also released a statement expressing his enthusiastic support.