Residents vote to change name of Raleigh neighborhood due to slaveholder ties
By WRAL Staff
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RALEIGH, North Carolina (WRAL) — Residents of the Cameron Park neighborhood in Raleigh voted 240 to 200 to change the neighborhood’s name.
This vote is just one part of the Raleigh community’s effort to rename communities associated with the name Cameron. Both the Cameron Village shopping center and the Cameron Village Regional Library were renamed.
Historical records show Duncan Cameron was one of the largest plantation owners and slaveholders in the South. By 1850, he had enslaved thousands of African-Americans.
A naming committee has been formed to help and select the neighborhood’s new name. The committee will look at survey results and submit choices for a new name using ranked choice voting on Nov. 15.
“Once we have chosen a new name for the neighborhood, we will petition the City of Raleigh City Council to include it in their official neighborhood list. Once the City approves the name change, we coordinate with City staff to update the name in all relevant touchpoints,” according to a statement from the neighborhood’s naming committee.
The neighborhood said they are not planning on changing names on legal deeds. The name of Cameron Park will be changed on the National Register of Historic Places, the state of North Carolina, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Wikipedia, Facebook, Twitter, Zillow, Redfin, Trulia, Nextdoor and more.
“This is the continuation of a longer conversation about what more we can do to make our community a more inclusive and equitable place,” the naming committee said in a statement. “This has made us all aware of what more we can and need to do.”
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