Which one to honor: Louisiana's best-known Confederate general or the African-Americans he was fighting for the right to keep enslaved?
In the case of the open space between the Municipal Auditorium and North Rampart Street, many New Orleanians have long known it as Congo Square, but for more than 100 years its official name has been Beauregard Square, honoring Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard.
That is likely to change this week.
The City Council is expected to vote Thursday to officially rename the space, part of Louis Armstrong Park, as Congo Square, the way it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
An ordinance introduced by Councilwoman Kristin Gisleson Palmer would "rename and dedicate Beauregard Square to its formerly known and current widely used name of Congo Square in honor of the historical cultural gatherings of enslaved Africans and free people of color in this area under French, Spanish and American rule."
According to widely accepted historical tradition, African-American slaves were allowed to gather on Sunday afternoons in an open field just outside the city, at a spot known by various names including Place Congo.
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