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Jamal Khashoggi Way. Does that street name ring a bell to you? Because that will once they convert half of the block of New Hampshire Avenue to that.

City council agreed to pass a bill to rename part of New Hampshire Avenue outside of the Saudi Arabian embassy “Jamal Khashoggi Way.” This of course is done as a tribute to revere the memory of Khashoggi, unfortunately dead as of 2018.

Jamal Khashoggi represented Freedom of the Press

The bill came up way back in January and since continues to garner broad support. Of course, there are many city council members in jubilee about renaming the 600 block. The journalist is well known for reporting on corruption and abuse in Saudi Arabia before sadly being killed on Oct. 2, 2018, within the Saudi consulate of Istanbul, Turkey.

By renaming the street, the council feels as if they are making “a statement of support for freedom of the press and, because of the location, a condemnation of the actions of the Saudi government.”

The bill has to be acceptable by the mayor and undergo congressional review. This is all before it becomes law. That way, there’s a formal recognition of the street. It lies between Virginia Avenue northwest and F Street northwest.

With growing support from the Washington Post, the National Press Club and the Council on Islamic-American Relations, this bill successfully became a reality.

Raed Jarrar, the advocacy director at Democracy in the Arab World Now, or DAWN, had this to say: “A street name designation may seem like a trivial matter to some folks, but I believe that you all understand how this specific designation will have a profound impact at a local, national, and international level.” Fun fact: DAWN was the brainchild by Jamal Khashoggi