I live on a Durham street named for a slave owner. It’s time that changed.

I live on a road named for a slave owner. Mangum Street is a downtown Durham artery and its namesake, William Mangum, who died in 1861, enslaved 20 people.

So, the fresh green stickers I saw that read “Democracy Blvd.” along the length of Mangum Street sparked my curiosity. Perhaps they are a response to recent threats to what Winston Churchill called “the worst form of government, except for all the others.”

Surprisingly, only a handful of streets in the U.S. are named “Democracy,” the closest one being in a Raleigh subdivision.

I also noticed stickers on bike racks and light posts a couple of blocks away. They read “Obama Rd.” They’re on a downtown street, that despite its short span, is burdened with four names: Foster, Corcoran, Blackwell and South. Let’s call it “FCBS Street” for short.

Feels like a nudge to change these street names.

Bull City citizens may remember the street party in 2008 celebrating the election of our first Black president. It took place at the intersection of FCBS and Parrish Street (aka Black Wall Street). Obama’s victory was a shocking delight, but there is no marker in the Triangle to honor that event. Or the man.

I served on the Durham City Council in the 90’s when we named a new road Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway. We also renamed a few existing streets, so I know it’s no small thing for those whose addresses must change. But scroll down the Museum of Durham History’s ”History Beneath Our Feet” web page, and you’ll see that a few street names have changed every generation or so.

But do these suggested name changes have merit? Mangum Street runs right by city hall and the North Carolina courts, and it’s within eye-shot of offices for the school board, board of elections, the federal building, and Durham County Board of Commissioners. So, it’s unlikely another street has a better claim to “Democracy Blvd.”

And what about the history behind FCBS? According to the Museum of Durham History’s web page for Foster Street, it’s possible namesake is W. E. Foster, a city alderman in 1890.

Local sources list no explanation for Corcoran Street. It passes by the plaza that once held Durham’s Academy of Music, built in 1904. Wikipedia describes a philanthropic family of Corcorans in Washington, D.C. at that time. Perhaps a donation for the long-gone academy earned them a few street signs?

Blackwell Street is named for W.T. Blackwell who owned the first brick tobacco factory in the U.S., according to OpenDurham.org. But Blackwell sold out, then went bankrupt in 1888.

The name becomes South Street after crossing Lakewood Avenue. The Museum of Durham History says, “the name probably refers to its direction.”

So, FCBS Street is possibly named for a direction, a bankrupt businessman, an out-of-town philanthropist, and a forgotten city alderman. While Mangum Street is certainly named for a slave owner.

Given the threats to democracy in our state, nation and globe, I, as a Mangum Street resident, wouldn’t object to trading out the name of a slave owner for a new name like Democracy Boulevard.

And can a city like Durham, with a long history of Black leadership, arts and entrepreneurship, go much longer without naming a central street after our first Black president?

This story was originally published April 5, 2022 at 10:55 AM.