An Acadiana resident is seeking signatures for a name change.
The name is question is Jefferson Davis Parish. Nicholas Guidry started the online petition on change.org to set in motion the removal of the name from the parish.
Guidry says Jefferson Davis represents a leading figure of the nation's Civil War era.
"We as a people cannot continue to honor the name of ANY PERSON who took up a cause in favor of the ownership of human lives," the petition states.
Jefferson Davis Parish, often shortened to Jeff Davis Parish, is named for Jefferson Finis Davis who was president of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War (1861-65).
That name was given to the area formerly part of the "Imperial Calcasieu" Parish in 1912. According to UL Lafayette Center for Louisiana Studies, Allen and Beauregard Parishes were also created during that time.
Guidry's petition calls for the removal of the name for one that is "befitting of the wonderful and diverse population who call it home today."
The petition is seeking 100 signatures.
According to the change.org page, the petition will be sent to Louisiana State House, Louisiana State Senate,Louisiana Governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives and Jeff Davis Parish
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