x
Breaking News
More () »

Fort Bend County neighborhood residents join forces to get Confederate Drive changed to Prosperity Drive

Instead of having to say she lives on Confederate Drive, Rhonda Gilbo can now say she lives on Prosperity Drive.

FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas — Change is sweeping through a Fort Bend County neighborhood that's full of street names with ties to the Confederacy. That includes one street named after the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.

"I always despised having to tell my street address," said Rhonda Gilbo, a Vicksburg Village resident.

That's because, up until Sunday, Gilbo lived on Confederate Drive.

"People say, 'How could you live on a street like that? I could never,'" Gilbo said. "There's probably about 12 to 15 names tied to the Confederacy (in the neighborhood)."

Gilbo and her husband started a petition to have their street name changed from Confederate Drive to Prosperity Drive. Rep. Al Green, along with other city council members, helped.

Gilbo needed 70% of the homeowners on their street to sign the petition. Then, she needed the city council's approval, which they received.

"It just feels so good to be able to say Prosperity Drive," Gilbo said.

"My hope is that they'll all change (all of the street names)," Green said.

Confederate Drive was the first street to be changed but isn't the last.

"Confederate Drive got 100% participation, and it's not just Black and brown people on Confederate Drive, it's a great mixture ... very multicultural," Gilbo said. "I believe this street is going to do the same thing."

Bedford Forrest Drive is another street name Green would like to see changed.

"He's the first Grand Wizard of the KKK and he was a proud man," Green said. "It is an insult to have to live on the street that's named Nathan Bedford Forrest, the Grand Wizard of the KKK."

RELATED: 1 year after dropping 'Plantation' from name, Sienna continues to move on from history

RELATED: Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond comes down following Virginia Supreme Court ruling

Before You Leave, Check This Out