Neighbors push to remove historically black neighborhood's Confederate ties in Arlington
ARLINGTON, Va. (FOX 5 DC) - A push is underway to officially strip a historically black neighborhood of its Confederate ties.
According to Arlington's chapter of the NAACP, the historically black neighborhood was first built by freed slaves, Levi and Sarah Ann Jones, who purchased 14 acres back in 1844. It was originally called "Green Valley."
The Nauck Civic Association says county officials started calling the area "Nauck" in the 1970s after Confederate soldier John D. Nauck, who purchased almost 80 acres in the 1870s.
Support for reconsidering the county's Confederate ties has become increasingly popular over the past few years.
No one knows that better than Antone Jacobs. His food truck, Bar-B-Que At Its Best, is a popular neighborhood gathering spot.
He says, name change or not, the neighborhood will always be Green Valley.
"They wanted to have it, kind of, Nauck/Green Valley. It became controversy, so they decided that they did their homework. Come to find out, the original land was Green Valley," said Jacobs.
The name change isn't quite a done deal. It still must go before the Arlington County Board, which will discuss and vote on the change.