You don't create "racial healing" by renaming a street with a Hispanic name. We have a lot of Mexican-Americans in KC and I think renaming a street named after a street in Mexico city is just wrong.WSPanic wrote:I'm sorry guys. You are right. The racial healing begins by telling the black community that a combination of community organization and due process are not legitimate ways to have a voice in the community. And furthermore, that if they choose to honor someone, make sure it's someone more palatable than MLK. And, god forbid, if they do honor MLK, please choose a crappy street like Prospect or 31st.im2kull wrote:Maybe we should just stop perpetuating this social racial divide? Maybe?WSPanic wrote:..incredibly insulting to the black community. The Paseo is a boulevard in the heart of the KC black community.
Unless of course MLK Jr. fought for self-segregation. Then, by all means..
Do you want to tell them, or should I?
I have no problem with giving MLK a street, but he already has 900 and a national holiday so I think giving attention to other leaders with a street name would do more good. I do see the appeal of naming a boulevard as they are better upkept than say prospect, but why not give him Gladstone or Shoal Creek then. I think renaming prospect is a bad idea too, you don't honor somebody by giving them a ghetto street.
And honestly, I think renaming a street in the urban core is playing to stereotypes that black people live in the urban core/poor part of the city. There are more blacks in the suburban parts of KC than in the urban core. If you want to really rename a street to honor MLK and put it where the most people (including black people) would see it, then you would rename something like say I-70, I-435 or a street that exists both sides of the river like Oak.