Savannah considers Black people and women for city square to replace name of slavery advocate

By RUSS BYNUM
Associated Press

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — The historic downtown of Savannah, Georgia, boasts nearly two dozen public squares. All the people they honor were white men. Soon, one of the squares could be named for a Black person or a woman for the first time in the city’s 290-year history. Savannah’s city council removed the name of U.S. Vice President John C. Calhoun last year. He was an outspoken advocate of slavery before the Civil War. Council members are expected to vote on a new name on Aug. 24. The six recommended finalists include Susie King Taylor, a Black woman who taught formerly enslaved people to read and write.