SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) - During Thursday’s Savannah City Council meeting, Savannah Mayor Eddie DeLoach stated that the city is beginning the process of renaming the perceived racist name of the Talmadge Bridge and adding to the Confederate monument in Forsyth Park.
The City of Savannah will send a resolution to the Governor Nathan Deal's Office on renaming the Talmadge Bridge.
The bridge is named after Eugene Talmadge, a three-term governor in Georgia who publicly held racist and segregationist views.
Mayor DeLoach said in his statement before the council that Savannah has wanted to change the name of the bridge for a long time. Savannah needs state approval to rename the bridge.
The mayor says he hopes the name of the bridge can be changed to something that represents the whole community.
Savannah Mayor Eddie DeLoach also stated that the Confederate monument in Forsyth Park does not tell both sides of the story. He will ask City Manager Rob Hernandez to begin the process of looking at ways to expand the monument.
"We lead by example and I wanted to make sure we did that as a council. We got a great council and they had the same feeling I did. We wanted to express our concern about what is taking place and let people know that we do understand that we trying to do what we feel like is right as a community,” said Mayor DeLoach.
Below is Mayor DeLoach's full statement:
In the past week we have seen many acts of violence that have been committed in the name of hate and racism. We all must denounce these forms of domestic terrorism, and rally around each other in the name of peace and unity. We must not just be on the right side of history, but we must write the right version of history. Savannah has long wanted to re-name the Talmadge bridge to a name that is more inclusive and representing of our entire community. I hope council will join in with me in supporting a resolution to send to the Governor and the State Legislature to work with our community to achieve this goal.
In Forsyth Park, we have a beautiful monument that pays homage to the Confederate Dead. This monument only tells a portion of our city’s unique history. While many, including myself had family members fight and die for the Confederacy, we also had citizens who fought and died to preserve the Union. We had citizens like James Moore Wayne who served as a United States Supreme Court Justice while his son served as an Adjunct General in the Confederate Army. Our nation, our city, and our families were divided. And we must embrace the whole story so we do not repeat it.
I call on the City Manager and the City Attorney to find a way to expand the story this monument tells to be inclusive of all Savannahians, regardless of race, creed, or color, who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the Civil War
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