Today the Board of Public Works is scheduled to vote on whether to change State Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Street. The proposal was originally brought forth by local activist Gino Bush and his Circle of Recovery Class of 2004 from Ithaca High School. And as most Ithacans know, has sparked numerous public hearings, debates, and controversy, and postponed the vote for many months.

Pete Meyers, one of main agitators rallying behind Bush in support of the name change, says he has never seen such a controversial issue in his entire "activist" life.

And why is that so? Well, perhaps because supporters of the name change haven't been afraid to say the resistance to the name change has roots in racism and classism.

Oh no, the opposition chimes back. This isn't about racism—after all, we're not racist—it's about practical matters, such as printing new business cards and stationary, changing deeds and mortgages. And oh, it's about history, too. State Street is an historical street name, and some of us grew up on State Street! Our memories would be forever altered if we changed the name of the street.

Never mind the fact that Ithaca would be making history by renaming the street. When we look into the future, we can see the historical importance of such a change. We have the opportunity to honor not just a great man, but a group of local youths who worked hard for many months to gather petitions, write letters, learn history and, in the process, turn their lives around.

Frankly, I'm getting a little fed up with our enlightened city's resistance to this change, and the obfuscation of what the controversy is really all about. Solutions have been offered to every issue raised by the opposition, and still people oppose it?

Those in opposition to the name change because of their personal roots on State Street have every right to voice their opinion, but I'm more inclined to honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King than to honor the childhood memories of people who have not spent their lives working for peace and justice.

That may sound harsh, but that's just me. Dr. King preached non-violence and was beaten up for preaching. Dr. King brought people of all races and classes together to work for the common good of society. His courage to speak continues to inspire us all today. Who on State Street can claim that they've done a fraction of what Dr. King did for peace? Who in Ithaca? This at once seems like the least we can do to honor his legacy, and also a great thing we can do to honor the spirit of our own community.

I have a friend who—while debating the issue with me at a local restaurant—pounded his fist on the table and said, "Just because someone is against changing the name of the street doesn't make them racist!"

That may be so, but if we all took just a few minutes of our busy lives to read about the history of renaming streets in honor of Dr. King, a larger world view would begin to emerge: that of the struggle of mostly African American religious, social and business leaders always leading the campaign for name changes, with the opposition nearly always coming from Caucasian business and property owners. You can't look at the statistics or know the history and think racism has nothing to do with it. And you can't pretend or deny that the opposition in our fair city also has roots in racism.

The opposition has said: let's name something else after him. But doesn't that just obfuscate more? Who would agree on renaming the library, for instance, or the high school? The debate could rage on endlessly and would eventually seem like just another maneuver to prolong doing nothing. State Street is the perfect street to honor Dr. King; it truly runs through the heart of our community.

The Board of Public Works should rename the street today, in honor of Dr. King and all he stood for. Let's have a road through our community that continually reminds us that non-violence and peace are possible. We need this now more than ever.

To add your voice to the debate, there will be a public comment period today before the vote, 3^rd Floor City Hall (Council Chambers), at 4:45 pm.

Articles on the history of renaming streets in Dr. King's honor:
http://personal.ecu.edu/aldermand/pubs/article_reprints.html

Elizabeth Bauchner, Editor and Publisher