Hispanic Role Model's Name Being Considered For Renaming Industrial Boulevard
The Dallas City Council’s Trinity River committee is looking to rename Industrial Boulevard. César Chávez, an altruistic farm worker is on the short list of names. As I said in an article from the May 24, 2008 edition of the Dallas Morning News, in eight years, the Dallas Hispanic population will become the majority. It would be an honor to the Hispanic community to rename Industrial Boulevard after Mr. Chávez.
Please read the article in its entirety below.
©2007Angel Reyes
www.ReyesLaw.com
Renaming Industrial Boulevard for César Chávez is a befitting choice
Saturday, May 24, 2008
The Dallas Morning News
If city government followed the cue of corporate America, our public institutions, highways, and street names would be named after those who could pay for the honor.
And a humble farm worker like César Chávez, whose mission in life was to improve the daily life of his co-workers in the fields, probably would not make the cut.
Yet, there he is, on a short list of six potential names approved by the Dallas City Council's Trinity River committee to replace the current one for Industrial Boulevard.
The others are: Eddie Bernice Johnson Parkway, Riverfront Boulevard, Trinity Lakes Boulevard, Trinityview Boulevard and Waterfront Boulevard.
Interest in the renaming of Industrial Boulevard, which runs along the north side of the Trinity River banks, has increased since the street became a gateway to the multibillion-dollar Trinity River project. That plan would remake the river corridor with a downtown park, lakes, hiking trails and other natural attractions.
Those supporting the effort to rename it for the legendary founder of United Farm Workers said its location is what caught their attention.
"He was a man of the land, of water and nature," said Martin Garza, a lawyer and former president of the Dallas Hispanic Bar Association, which is leading the effort.
"Conserving our natural resources was a big part of his message, that the land is a sacred trust."
Other cities around the state and the country, including Austin and Los Angeles, already have public thoroughfares named after Mr. Chávez, he said.
Dallas has streets and highways named after national figures, such as Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th president of the U.S., and Martin Luther King Jr. But none are named after Hispanic leaders.
Dallas City Council member Elba García, who sits on the committee that voted to include the Chávez name, said the César Chávez Plaza at Farmers Market is the only public site in the city that bears his name.
But if this effort to rename Industrial to César Chávez Boulevard does not succeed, other opportunities on the south side of the river could come up later, she said.
"Everybody feels passionate about their choice, and it's going to take the same passion to move it forward," Dr. Garcia said.
Dallas lawyer Angel Reyes said the city's dramatic demographic shift also needs to be recognized. Hispanics now represent more than 40 percent of Dallas' population.
"Our city is going to be a Hispanic-majority city in eight years," he said. "This would be a terrific honor for a city with a Hispanic legacy that is growing."
Others, such as Associate Judge Teresa Guerra Snelson, see it as a teachable moment: "He was an American whose contributions need to be recognized."
©2007Angel Reyes
www.ReyesLaw.com
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But, in reality, naming the street Cesar Chavez Parkway would not be good. Sad to say, but the "brand" of streets named Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King Boulevards (Street, Parkway, etc.) is really lousy. It probably is as bad as "Industrial Boulevard." CC and MLK branded streets across the U.S. are in run-down areas. If someone told me their office was on MLK Boulevard or Cesar Chavez Boulevard (or Eddie Bernice Johnson Boulevard for that matter), I would immediately think I would need protection if going to the office for a meeting at night.
All that is politically incorrect, but it is unfortunately the truth.
If Dallas wants people to think of the irrigation and sewage canal that they are re-branding as the "Trinity River Basin" as something nice, they need to stick with one of the other names (Trinity River Parkway, Waterfront Parkway, etc.) to underscore their branding efforts.
If they want to elevate the brand of Cesar Chavez, have them name one of those overpriced Calatrava (or whatever its name is) bridges the Cesar Chavez Bridge. The bridge is a soaring work of art and symbolically connects parts of the community. Seems like a more fitting tribute to Cesar Chavez than a piece of asphalt.
The Cesar Chavez Bridge soaring over the Waterfront Boulevard would be awesome. That is something the Chamber of Commerce could make sound great in a convention and visitors piece. (The Eddie Bernice Johnson Bridge over Cesar Chavez Boulevard ... conjures up images of an industrial "seen better days" street with an overpass with homeless people under it).
There's my 2 cents :)
Jim
While César Chávez certainly deserves such an honor, it would not be appropriate here. With so much at stake in the redevelopment of this area, putting anyones name on it would be a mistake. The name should be something more indicative of and connected to the project itself.