A D.C. Council member is proposing to rename Pennsylvania Avenue to draw attention to the District’s continuing fight for statehood and full voting rights.
At-Large Council member Michael A. Brown is surveying residents to determine what ceremonial name the famous street should have, the Associated Press reported last week. Options include “51st State Way,” “Give DC Full Democracy Way,” and four other names.
“Our city hosts streets named after all the states in the country, yet the residents of those very streets are denied the full democratic rights that Statehood offers,” the survey reads.
Brown’s survey is open to only D.C. residents, and it notes that the renaming isn’t officially changing the famous avenue’s name – it would only be a ceremonial designation.
The survey also asks if Constitution and Independence Avenues should be renamed, as well as the city’s gateway signs welcoming visitors to D.C.