Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) announced has charged a working group, the District of Columbia Facilities and Commemorative Expressions (DCFACES), with evaluating named DC Government-owned facilities.
According to the website, DCFACES will make recommendations as to what, if any, actions need to be taken if the person the facility is named for is inconsistent with DC values and in some way encouraged the oppression of African Americans and other communities of color or contributed to our long history of systemic racism.
This working group was formed by Bowser and is chaired by Senior Advisor Beverly Perry and DC Public Library Executive Director Richard Reyes-Gavilan. A bill was introduced at DC Council April 2, 2019 to require the Mayor to establish a body that would study monuments, markers and symbols and make recommendations on places and place names. Although a public hearing on the bill was held in January of this year, it stalled before reaching the Committee of the Whole for markup.
The working group will focus on:
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DC Government-owned streets
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DC Government-owned buildings (libraries, schools, rec centers, etc)
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DC Government-owned parks
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Statues in DC Government-owned parks
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Other named public spaces
Residents are encouraged to fill out a survey to provide and draw attention to areas or places of concern. You can complete the DCFACES Survey Now.
For more information, please [email protected].
