Good Morning America’s Monday segment claimed a Philadelphia street had been renamed after a pediatric surgeon who spearheaded independent COVID-19 testing effort, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
Dr. Ala Stanford, who launched Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium in April 2020 to increase availability of testing in the minority communities, started weeping Monday when Good Morning America personality T.J. Holmes presented her with an Ala Stanford Way street sign.
“The City of Philadelphia is doing something as well,” Holmes told Stanford, after handing her a $10,000 check from the Verizon-owned company Visible. “This neighborhood that you have helped so much, you are getting your own street here in this community, dear lady. This is real. This is an actual street sign. And it is actually going up in this neighborhood.”
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The live segment made it seem like the North Philadelphia street had officially changed its name, which turned out to be only a “ceremonial gesture,” according to Philadelphia Magazine.
“The street renaming was presented as a ceremonial gesture,” spokesperson for Philadelphia mayor Kevin Lessard reportedly said, noting that there are no current plans to name a street in the doctor’s honor. (RELATED: Several Shot Outside Philadelphia Sports Bar)
The city of Philadelphia has two types of street renaming: technical and ceremonial, according to Philadelphia Magazine. While the actual process requires certain procedural steps and takes a long period of time, the ceremonial renaming is a lot quicker.
In the latter case, a smaller red sign with the honoree’s name gets placed beneath the actual street sign. This is what will happen to the Ala Stanford street sign as well, the report says.