Session 5 - Municipal Archives and the New Orleans Street Renaming Project

The New Orleans City Archives & Special Collections is the official repository for the municipal records of the City of New Orleans. We are charged with the care of the City’s records, and provide research assistance to city agencies and the public alike. In the summer of 2020, City Council began to examine the cultural history embedded in the city’s infrastructure—beginning with city streets named commemorating the Confederacy. The Archives was approached to provide municipal records to ground the City Council’s work. During the project, staff members responded to dynamic research needs from a host of stakeholders, including elected officials, community activists, members of the public, and academics, in addition to responding to challenges and ethical questions unique to the archival profession. Our work resulted in a 30-page report provided to the Street Renaming Commission which functioned as the foundation of their decision making. In this presentation, we will discuss the unique challenges involved, our successes, our failures, and how municipal records can contribute to these conversations.

This presentation will discuss using municipal records to participate in public conversations surrounding street renaming, a hotly debated topic. We will talk about how we dealt with pushback, and how we were able to position our department as a vital resource for both municipal agencies and the public.

Target Audience: Local, Public Institutions of Higher Learning

Focus Area: Archives

Presenters: Brittanny Silva, Archivist, New Orleans City Archives & Special Collections and Andrew Mullins, III, Archivist, City Archives & Special Collections