Taney Street will be renamed after civil rights activist Caroline LeCount, ‘Philadelphia’s Rosa Parks’

Taney Street, a strip of blocks that runs through South Philadelphia, Fairmount, and North Philadelphia, is slated for a name change after years of advocacy work at the hands of residents. The renaming will mark the first time a Philadelphia street is named after a Black woman, according to city officials.

The Taney name has long been considered a holdover of the country’s racist past, honoring former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Roger B. Taney, who is best known for his opinion in the Dred Scott case. Taney wrote that Black people “had no rights which the white man was bound to respect,” denying them citizenship.

Should all go as planned, the street could be renamed by the end of the year to honor Philadelphia native Caroline LeCount, the first Black woman to pass the city’s teaching exam, a school principal, and a fierce civil rights advocate who fought streetcar segregation in the 1860s. In modern times, her work has gotten her the moniker of “Philadelphia’s Rosa Parks.”

“We are rewriting history in a way that honors those contributions of those who are overlooked in our city’s history,” said City Councilmember Jeffrey Young Jr., who added he didn’t know about LeCount before the Rename Taney Coalition launched its outreach efforts.

In a news conference Wednesday, Young, Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr., and Council President Kenyatta Johnson announced plans to introduce legislation Thursday for what they called an overdue change.

Though the change may seem symbolic, the coalition sees the move as righting a 166-year wrong.

“It really does matter because racism is structural and systematic,” said Samaya Brown, a member of the coalition that has pushed for the name change since 2020. “You have to attack it from all points, both big and small. So we call this a small but mighty win.”

What’s more, while LeCount was a leading civil rights activist of her time, her impact was not as widely remembered as that of contemporaries like Octavius V. Catto, her fiance, who has a statue in front of City Hall.

LeCount was laid to rest without a gravestone until the coalition took it upon itself to raise money for one and launch an awareness campaign that included a coloring book.

Despite efforts to raise LeCount’s profile, one of the challenges in renaming Taney Street was the fact a mayor couldn’t change it with a stroke of a pen. The name change required legislation from Council.

Brown said the group knocked on all doors on the street, passing surveys and collecting about 3,000 signatures citywide. Jones and Young held community meetings on the issue over the summer.

» READ MORE: Rename Taney Street in Philly is the latest campaign to erase a racist past

According to the coalition’s polling, the group ultimately had 90% of Taney Street residents backing the change.

Although there is a blueprint to give streets ceremonial names, for a formal renaming, the coalition had to embark on a road less traveled and sought guidance from the U.S. Postal Service. Other streets have been renamed for civil rights leaders, including Columbia Avenue, which was renamed Cecil B. Moore Avenue in 1987, and West River Drive, which was renamed after Martin Luther King Jr. in 2005.

The switch to LeCount Street should not disrupt residents’ way of life. When residents’ government ID expires, they can replace it with the new address, and the USPS system will automatically update to recognize Taney Street as LeCount Street, ensuring mail gets to the right home. Google’s and Apple’s mapping services, as well as UPS and FedEx delivery services, will automatically update their systems, as will city and county government agencies.

Residents on the streets affected will not see their house numbers change and their zip codes will remain the same. Homeowners don’t need to take any action with regards to their deeds, which go by parcel numbers.

Streets Commissioner Kristin Del Rossi said once legislation is approved, the department can begin swapping out the old green signs that read Taney Street. The process could take months, she said. Thirty-two intersections have signage that would need to be replaced.

Johnson said he hopes to hold a vote and pass the legislation by the end of the year.