Orlando renames street from Stonewall Jackson to Roberto Clemente

ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando leaders made a much-anticipated change on Wednesday, officially unveiling a newly named street near Englewood.

Roberto Clemente Road now matches the Orange County school alongside, replacing the name of the confederate general, Stonewall Jackson.

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The change continues Orlando’s efforts to be more inclusive.

Clemente, one of the first Latin American baseball players, was a major league hall of famer and humanitarian.

“Roberto Clemente was a hero to so many of us,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “I think he’d probably be proud that we’re naming this street after him.”

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The change replaces the name from Jackson and follows the same move last fall when Orange County Public Schools renamed nearby Jackson Middle School to Roberto Clemente Middle School.

The complete removal of Jackson’s name from both school and street comes after three years of grassroots advocacy from area activists.

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“Today, the will of the people has spoken, and we laid down the past to rest and aim at the future with great hope,” said Orlando City Commissioner Tony Ortiz.

Known as a civil rights icon, Clemente died in a 1972 plane crash while bringing supplies to survivors of an earthquake in Nicaragua.

See the full report in the video above.

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