Jump to content

Tara Boulevard to be renamed?


ironchapman

Recommended Posts

I made a comment similar to that earlier in this forum (although it wasn't as harsh) But now I realize that Rosa Parks did do a lot for Atlanta and really every city across the country. She helped integrate the bus system in Montgomery, and their success in doing so inspired black residents in other cities to strive for equal rights as well. Atlanta especially owes a great debt to Rosa Parks since there are so many black people in this city who's lives have been changed dramatically due in part to her.

But shouldn't Rosa be honored in her own home town and not a sister one. I'm not against this, it's just I wonder why?

Link to comment
Share on other sites


  • Replies 91
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Hotlanta, why does any US town / city honor Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Roosevelt, or any southern town honor Davis or Lee? Or why does any town or country honor their god, such as Jesus - if he only lived in modern day Israel?

oh ok, thanks for helping me understand and putting it into that perspective for me! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I only have two problems with renaming streets: (1) I get confused because I learned to navigate by their old names and (2) full names are a bit cumbersome. I wonder if we could go with just the last name, like "Allen Boulevard" rather than "Ivan Allen, Jr., Boulevard"? It's just a lot of words to say, "Meet me at the corner of Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard and Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard." I'd rather say me, "I'll see you at Lowery and Abernathy."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I made a comment similar to that earlier in this forum (although it wasn't as harsh) But now I realize that Rosa Parks did do a lot for Atlanta and really every city across the country. She helped integrate the bus system in Montgomery, and their success in doing so inspired black residents in other cities to strive for equal rights as well. Atlanta especially owes a great debt to Rosa Parks since there are so many black people in this city who's lives have been changed dramatically due in part to her.

I'm not denying that she wasn't important to the city and blacks, Newnan. She should be honored by Clayton County and the City of Atlanta also. I just don't think we should have to remove another famous historical name to do so.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^ I'm not sure a 1950's era highway name would be considered 'historical'.

I don't know. I guess it all boils down to the interpretation of it. I always thought Gone With the Wind was an important moment for Atlanta's (and Clayton County's) history. Tara was in Clayton, afterall.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know. I guess it all boils down to the interpretation of it. I always thought Gone With the Wind was an important moment for Atlanta's (and Clayton County's) history. Tara was in Clayton, afterall.

true dat! :thumbsup: I just can't comprehend why everybody all of a sudden is changing their street names to honor famous african-americans. Was there something announced nationally that I didn't hear? :blink:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

true dat! :thumbsup: I just can't comprehend why everybody all of a sudden is changing their street names to honor famous african-americans. Was there something announced nationally that I didn't hear? :blink:
Er, not everybody is doing this nor is it all of a sudden. You're talking about a handful of possible renamings, carried out after considerable public debate and legislation.

Compare this to the number of roads named after famous whites in Georgia -- Sidney Marcus Boulevard, Zell Miller Parkway, the Lester & Virginia Maddox Bridge, the Eugene Talmadge Bridge, Ronald Reagan Parkway, Carl Sanders Highway, Joe Frank Harris Parkway, Ivan Allen, Jr., Boulevard, George Busbee Highway, Jimmy Carter Boulevard, etc., etc.

Atlanta's largest park is named in honor of a white man, as are many of its other parks and public facilities. Nearly every county in Georgia is named after a white man, as are many of its cities. Until recently the airport was named solely in honor a white man. Countless schools, colleges and stadiums are named in honor of white people. Forrest Boulevard was named after a man who'd become rich as a slave trader and who gained fame as the leader of the Ku Klux Klan until it was renamed after Ralph Mcgill in the mid-1970's.

That's been going on for a very long time and it's still the way things are usually named. Yet I haven't heard anyone complain or say they can't comprehend why this is being done. Why would that be?

I'd have to add that Tara is a fictional place in a fictional novel. It's not like Highway 41 actually went to Tara, nor has that been its name since time immemorial. The story didn't even come out until the late 1930's and I think that stretch of road was renamed a decade or so later. The GWTW story is already enshrined in countless places around Atlanta, even though very few Atlantans actually lived the plantation life.

It's hard for me to see how white folks -- especially those who don't even reside in Clayton County -- have a stake in insisting that a county where 70% of the citizens are black continue to name its main drag in honor of a fictional story about white people where African Americans are featured only as slaves and servants.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Atlanta's largest park is named in honor of a white man, as are many of its other parks and public facilities. Nearly every county in Georgia is named after a white man, as are many of its cities. Until recently the airport was named solely in honor a white man. Countless schools, colleges and stadiums are named in honor of white people.

Well, maybe it's just talk, but I hear white people had a prominent role in the development of Georgia. I have no problem with honoring other peoples heritage at all, but don't do it at the expense of another peoples. Heres a question I posed earlier: When Atlanta becomes majority Mexican, are we gonna start renaming things for Mexican heroes? Why not name new things after them? :thumbsup:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You guys have helped me see some different ideas on the issue, I will say that. :)

I guess it really shouldn't be my place to say what should happen to a road in Clayton County, seeing as I have never lived there. I still think they could do something better for her. When the article that started this thread was published, it seemed like a spur of the moment decision just to name it for her. I'm not saying that Tara Boulevard couldn't or shouldn't be renamed, but it seems like Rosa Parks deserves a little more than just a road, even if it is one of the county's major roads.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.