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High Point community fights to keep the historic name of their neighborhood

Plans to rebuild a High Point public housing development also aimed to change the name of the area.

HIGH POINT, N.C. — Hundreds are petitioning to keep the name of a High Point public housing complex.

It was originally named for a prominent black man in the city's history, Rev. Daniel Brooks.

An empty field, the scars of streets and piles of trash are all that's left of that development, home to many during the 80 years it stood on the east side.

Brian Edwards grew up in the Daniel Brooks Homes.

"They were low income. They were still good citizens," Edwards said. "They wanted to go to work and be able to provide for their families. That's how my mother and I were."

He left High Point in his early 20s to pursue a basketball career. He played first at Barber-Scotia College, then the University of Minnesota and eventually played internationally in Germany, Italy and Spain.

He lives in Fort Meyers, Florida now and is part owner of a team in Berlin. He still remembers the lessons he learned in Daniel Brooks.

"I think Daniel Brooks really molded me," Edwards said. "My mom always said if you ever get in the position like I am today to help others, always do that."

WFMY News 2 visited the neighborhood in 2019 when word came of the rebuild. Everyone we spoke to at the time approved of the project.

Edwards does too but he is not a fan of the new name--Legacy Ridge.

"I think the name should remain on that site," Edwards said.

Daniel Brooks was a Methodist Minister and served multiple terms as a school commissioner during the early 1900s. The Housing Authority of the City of High Point chose him to be the namesake for the apartments when they were built in the 1940s.

Current CEO Angela McGill told WFMY News 2's Grace Holland in a statement, the new name allows all historic black leaders in High Point to be honored.

"These individuals will be honored through the names of streets, buildings and community spaces, as well as displays about the history of Daniel Brooks Homes. Rev. Daniel Brooks and the community that Daniel Brooks provided will be a focal point of these efforts. Specifics about the other honorees and the respective acknowledgments will be announced at the groundbreaking for construction of the new property," McGill said.

Reverend Angela Roberson started the group "Daniel Brooks Keepers of the Name" and an online petition to keep Brooks' name on the complex.

She and Edwards would like to see a compromise. They would like the complex to be named Daniel Brooks Legacy Ridge.

"I think that would be amazing to continue on the legacy in the City of High Point," Edwards said.

The Housing Authority is expected to meet with Roberson and petitioners on March 3. 

Construction on the new homes is expected to start this summer.

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