NEW ORLEANS — Among other issues, the New Orleans City Council will vote on renaming the following streets during their first meeting of the new year. Here's a closer look at the three men whose names are being suggested:
- Renaming of "McShane Place" to "Joseph Guillaume Place" which connects North Rampart Street at Saint Bernard Avenue to Saint Claude.
Joseph Guillaume is known for his part in desegregating street car service in the city. According to the Street Renaming Commission, Guillaume was 20-year-old when he jumped onto a whites-only streetcar on the Rampart and Dauphine line. The driver tried to remove Guillaume, but Guillaume instead grabbed the mule's reins, threw the conductor out of the car, and drove off himself as police chased him. Three days later the streetcar companies would decide that all citizens would be allowed into the cars, no matter their race.
- Renaming of "Slidell Street" to "Red Allen" which is in Algiers.
Henry James "Red" Allen was a jazz trumpeter and vocalist, born and raised in Algiers in 1908.
- Renaming of "Robert E. Lee Boulevard" to "Allen Toussaint" in New Orleans.
Allen Toussaint lived on the street, and his home is still there. He was born in New Orleans in 1938 and was a successful musician, songwriter, and producer influential in rhythm and blues. He's been inducted into the Rock and Role Hall of Fame, the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, and the Blues Hall of Fame. He was also awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama.