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The Alexandria City Council Naming Committee will hold a public hearing on April 30 on a proposal to rename Iverson Street to Edmonson Street, giving residents their formal opportunity to weigh in before the city moves toward a final decision later this spring.
The hearing will run from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Patrick Henry Recreation Center, 4653 Taney Ave. No RSVP is required to attend in person. Residents may also submit written comments to CouncilComment@alexandriava.gov or sign up to speak in advance at apps.alexandriava.gov/SpeakerSignup.
Iverson Street, located in the Seminary Hill neighborhood, is named for Confederate Brig. Gen. Alfred Iverson Jr., according to city records. The proposed replacement name honors Mary and Emily Edmonson, two sisters born into slavery who, in 1848, attempted to escape aboard the schooner Pearl. The sisters were captured and jailed at the Bruin slave jail in Alexandria before eventually gaining their freedom and becoming prominent voices in the abolitionist movement.
Unlike the three street rededications the council approved in February — which kept existing street names intact while reassigning their historical meanings — a renaming would require physical changes to street signs and would require some residents to update their addresses with banks, the DMV, and other services. The city said it would coordinate directly with utilities, the U.S. Postal Service, voter registration, and other agencies to handle most updates automatically.
City Council directed staff to study the Iverson Street renaming in September 2025, following research by the Historic Alexandria Resources Commission and recommendations from the Naming Committee. The renaming is part of Phase 2 of Alexandria's ongoing multi-year effort to remove Confederate honors from city streets — an effort rooted in a 1953 ordinance that directed all north-south streets to be named for Confederate military leaders.
The Naming Committee is chaired by Councilman John Taylor Chapman and also includes Councilman Abdel Elnoubi and Councilwoman Jacinta Greene.
The Alexandria Brief previously reported on the three rededications approved in February, including Calhoun Avenue, which was rededicated for former Vice Mayor and state Sen. Robert L. "Bob" Calhoun.
For more information, contact Dana Wedeles at dana.wedeles@alexandriava.gov. Free interpretation and translation services are available by emailing LanguageAccess@alexandriava.gov or calling 703.746.3960.
More information is available at alexandriava.gov/StreetRenaming.
