To the editor:

Keep the name Lee Street and use the conundrum to promote the city. Perhaps the intent of long-ago city officials, who renamed Water Street, was to recognize Robert E. Lee. But today, residents and especially visitors alike can be invited to choose the Lee they wish to revere: Light Horse Harry Lee, the Revolutionary War hero and one-time governor of Virginia; his son, Confederate General Robert E. Lee or a bevy of other Lees – including current or former residents of Asian and African descent who distinguished themselves in small or large ways.

By giving everyone this recognition option, especially tourists, respect for our tumultuous and racially expansive history will be recognized – not erased. The city itself, which predates the nation, is testimony to what our history wrought.

It will also save an enormous amount of headache and expense from having the many businesses and individuals with a Lee Street address from having to change addresses galore – from checkbooks and business cards to Christmas card lists and magazine subscriptions, and many more.

-Jimm Roberts, Alexandria