NORMAN, Okla. — An Oklahoma college town approved a petition to rename a street honoring a Ku Klux Klan leader who was also a prominent professor.
The Norman City Council gave its unanimous approval Tuesday to rename DeBarr Avenue as Deans Row Avenue. Public Works Director Shawn O’Leary told The Norman Transcript that the city plans to make the change within 30 days.
Edwin DeBarr was one of the first professors at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. He became a grand dragon in the KKK and was forced from the university in 1923 because of his Klan involvement.
The block-long street named after him is near the campus. City leaders acted based on a petition from property owners after Councilwoman Breea Clark renewed a long-dormant effort to make the change. The University of Oklahoma’s student government association also supported the effort.
Clark said the street signs should be kept as a historical reminder of how far the city has come as an inclusive community.
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