Why should younger generations of New Orleanians care about street renaming? Simply put, we can’t afford not to
By David Gross, CCSRC Student Writers & Researchers Panel
Millsaps College, McKay Connor Scholarship Fund Fellow
I remember during the Landrieu administration when the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee was taken down. It was highly controversial, but it was many people’s first introduction to just how deep-rooted white supremacy was in our city. Before the removal of the statue, I was neutral to the issue because I was uneducated. Now, it’s been a few years since I realized the issue was about removing lasting remnants of white supremacy.
I was conscious of my place in this discussion as well. Even though I come from a Hispanic background, I would generally identify as a white man, so when I had an offer to intern for the Commission I wasn’t sure about accepting due to my identification. However, I realized it was also important to truly show my allyship and dedication to justice by helping the committee achieve their aims and make their final submission.
Obviously, the renaming of streets to a more representative group of names isn’t the end all be all in the road of finding justice and eliminating white supremacy, but what it means to me, and hopefully my generation (and even other generations), is that our voice is beginning to be heard. Maybe not at the highest level, but at least locally. The Commission took into account local voices on street renaming in regards to what the new names should be.
Not only that, but we, as citizens, can tangibly see these changes. It helps us recognize the power of our collective voice, which can be used as we travel toward a just society and dismantle white supremacy. Hopefully, the use of this voice will encourage others around the city, and the country, to be active in demanding more from their government, which is supposed to represent them but often does not. The city you live in should be an embodiment of the people who live there, rather than still being representative of the unjust past.
Of course, it is necessary to not forget the past, and sometimes the scars from the past will still be. Even though our previous wrongdoings may not be obvious to us anymore, as long as we continue educating future generations about the past, we will hopefully not recreate the past. However, with that being said, producing tangible change invokes hope in people, which during the past year has been in dearth.
The one thing that we, as in my generation, cannot accept, however, is contentedness. As I said earlier, just renaming streets isn’t enough; it’s part of the long journey to reach a just and equal society. There are many scars in the city of New Orleans that are memories of segregation and white supremacy. The I-10 overpass that cuts through the city is a major representation of minority degradation and suppression. Not only that, but the way the East and West Bank are serviced by city services are lackluster; the East also lacks most of the amenities it had pre-Katrina, and those are just a few grievances among many.
As we strive toward a more just and equal America and New Orleans, it is important to educate people about the white supremacy that still impacts our city. Not only this, but it is key to keep pushing for change. If it weren’t for organizations like Take Em’ Down NOLA, getting people educated on why the issue is important, and the people of New Orleans calling for action from their representative leaders, then it’s very likely nothing would be done. As long as people continue to make their voice heard, through protest, petition, voting, or even running for office, then hopefully we can do more, in terms of policy, to create a more just and equal city.
