Changing Names
Editors,
As a twenty-five year resident of Fairfax, I am both proud and happy that our town council has voted to remove the name Sir Francis Drake from the portion of this main highway that passes through Fairfax. Renaming our main highway in Fairfax shows a genuine respect for the rights and feelings of not only Native and African Americans but also for all those people of any racial background who feel sincerely committed to ending the lingering ties of our society with racial injustice and the brutal and savage mistreatment by all those like Sir Francis Drake who have continued to maintain a subtle influence on our nation’s ethical character and our nation’s future spiritual possibilities.
The names we choose for our streets, schools and other landmarks are far from merely superficial symbols. Those we choose to honor through these dedications show much about ourselves and about our deepest and most valued feelings. And to finally remove the name of someone who was known to have not only enslaved many innocent human beings but to also have brutally murdered countless others is a hopeful sign that we as a potentially beautiful nation may finally be on the path toward truly living the great ideals that our nation had supposedly been founded upon.
Rama Kumar, Fairfax
Duly Noted
Dear Editor,
Two brief notes:
What a pleasure to see a simple camper ad in place of any cigarette ad. That is catering to the Sonoma Marin audience. I’m going to contact them about their services as a result of your ad.
And Mr. Howell, the epitaph written by Lawrence Ferlinghetti (Press Pass, Mar. 3) brought a tear to my eye. His words addressing Kenneth Patchen bear repeating:
“A poet is born
A poet dies
And all that lies between
is us…”
Mark Solomons, Fairfax
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