The names have been around Tempe for years and so have the streets and parks.
Hudson Park is the favorite for Delores Turnbow and her two kids.
"It's got a skate park here, a nice path for the kids to ride their bikes, skateboard, and scooter,” said Turnbow.
But, she tells ABC15, she was surprised to learn Hudson Park along with Redden and Harelson Parks have ties to the Ku Klux Klan.
"There was a resident who had done some research and alerted us to it,” said Tempe City Manager Andrew Ching.
Ching says records from the 1920s also link Hudson Lane, East Laird, and West Laird Streets to the KKK. Ching says that pushed the staff at the Tempe History Museum to dig.
"I think that changing that would be really appropriate. I think that history doesn't change, but we can change history going forward,” added Turnbow.
ABC15 has followed the story for years. Here is how we got to this point, Tempe's City Council heard from people wanting to keep the names and some who wanted to remove the names.
Council members put Ching in charge of a renaming advisory committee.
"One of the first things we had to decide was how to sort and figure out who to honor and that was a lot of work on the part of the committee,” added Ching.
Since October, the committee has met four times and come up with a list of potential replacement names.
"They are people who are civil rights leaders, community leaders, or people who distinguish themselves for the pioneering families of Tempe,” added Ching.
While only a few weeks away from a name change, for three parks and three streets, the committee is focused to help turn a page in history.
But, says they are also aware of those who don't want the names to change.
"There is, essentially in so many words, a great purpose here. And, it really is, what kind of community do we want to be for everybody and not just some people. That's really what this is all about,” added Ching.
The committee will reveal the names next month, where councilors will eventually vote on the names.
