El Paso to rename Robert E. Lee Road in honor of Buffalo Soldiers

EL PASO, Texas -- El Paso City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to rename Robert E. Lee Road in east-central El Paso as Buffalo Soldiers Road.

The move comes amid a national debate over names of facilities, statues and other honors for those linked to the Confederacy, seen as a symbol of slavery in the South; Robert E. Lee was a top Confederate general during the Civil War who has no known ties to El Paso.

The leader of the Valley View Neighborhood Association, who proposed the change, noted that Fort Bliss renamed their portion of the street six years ago to instead honor the Buffalo Soldiers - a group of African American soldiers who protected western settlers in the aftermath of the Civil War.

The City Council action followed a decision by the El Paso Independent School District Board of Trustees last week to undertake a process to rename Robert E. Lee Elementary School in the northeast section of the city.