Yesterday (Aug. 9), a crowd gathered in Ahmaud Arbery’s hometown of Brunswick, Georgia for a street naming ceremony. The event honored the slain 25-year-old who was senselessly hunted and murdered by three white men on Feb. 23, 2020.
The victim’s parents Wanda Cooper-Jones and Marcus Arbery were present for the unveiling of the sign, which reads Honorary Ahmaud Arbery Street. According to WJCL 22, a local news station in Savannah, city officials declared intersections along all 2.7 miles (4.35 kilometers) of Albany Street, which runs through the heart of the city’s Black community, will have signage honoring Arbery. During yesterday’s event, two signs in the victim’s name were revealed.
The signs are near the Brunswick African-American Cultural Center. A wall of the building is covered with a mural of Arbery smiling. Brenda Davis, who works and lives in the area, spoke with the news station about the street dedication. “That’s an honor, is all I can say,” she shared. Davis added, “He means something to everybody, though a lot of people didn’t know him.” Former Brunswick Mayor Cornell Harvey also shared a few words at the ceremony. “We did this because we want to always remember what happened,” he began. “You say, ‘Why would you want to remember such a tragedy?′ Because sometimes it takes that to make a change. I am so sorry for the family … but history has seized us,” Harvey explained.
Cooper-Jones tearfully spoke about her son: “I look at the change Ahmaud has brought since his passing. My only prayer is you guys will not forget his name. Please promise me you guys will always say his name.” On Monday (Aug. 8), Greg McMichael and his son Travis McMichael received life sentences for their role in Arbery’s death. Their neighbor William Bryan received 35 years in federal prison for blocking Arbery’s escape and filming his murder.