Difference between revisions of "User:RahalMccall69"
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| − | In | + | In our Thursday column we wrote about the racist Peter H. Burnett, the first elected civilian governor of California and, regrettably, the namesake of Burnett Elementary School in the Poly area of Long Beach.You can t imagine our surprise <a href=http://capstone.edu.sg/images/gucciusaonlineoutlet.php> cheap gucci</a> when we woke up the next morning and it still hadn t been renamed. We used to have a lot of sway in this town. But now, even after pointing out that Burnett makes today s modern breed of racist look quaintly tolerant, we have to get up in the morning and find that there s still a Peter H. Burnett school in Long Beach, right in the middle of a neighborhood filled with the sort of people that he desperately wanted to keep out of his state. |
| − | + | At least some readers have taken up the cause. So, when is the school name being changed????? wondered (by a factor of five) Rebecca Magdaleno Rankins. OK, let s start a movement to change the name, wrote Jane Coombs.Of the more than two dozen responses we received after the column s publication, only one reader had a good reason for keeping the school s name. Our friend Russ Parsons wrote, As a big fan of ironic history, I love this. His ghost must be perpetually tortured by it. A bit of clarification about the name comes from Claudine No Relation Burnett, who tells us that Thomas Burr Burnett was the railroad magnate who brought the first rail into Long Beach. Farmers in the then-unincorporated (and, perhaps even unnamed) area wanted a depot built where they could load their produce and named the area Burnett to flatter the man into building one. | |
| − | + | The school, then, was named Burnett, though at the time it was just named for the area that it served. In earlier days, all the Long Beach schools were named for the area where they were located Los Cerritos, Carroll Park, etc., wrote Burnett. In the 1920s it was decided <a href=http://capstone.edu.sg/clreplicashoes.php>Christian Louboutin Shoes Sale</a> to rename them after important individuals. All complied except the residents of Burnett who fought to keep the name of the school with no first name attached.In the 1970s, when the schools were looking up the individuals whose names were given to Long Beach schools, they couldn t find anyone important named Burnett except the first governor of California. The earlier history (of Thomas Burr Burnett) had been forgotten, Burnett writes. | |
| − | + | And, apparently, the history of Peter H. Burnett had been ignored.So, now what? Obviously, the name needs to be changed. Happily, it can remain Burnett. It s just the Peter H. that needs to be run out of town on a rail.Several notable Burnetts have been suggested by readers. The first came from our old schoolmate (and by old, we totally mean young ) Kristi Fischer: Let s change the name to Claudine Burnett! Others followed: From Christopher Berry: Chester Burnett Elementary. The African-American was better <a href=http://www.symbiose.ca/images/christianlouboutin.gwij.php>Christian Louboutin Outlet</a> known as the bluesman Howlin Wolf. Adds Berry: The Wolf can t be honored enough, and it would be an extra slap in the face to Peter Burnett. | |
| − | + | And our man in Sacramento, Will Shuck, suggests, simply, Carol. | |
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Revision as of 14:33, 9 September 2014
@@@ In our Thursday column we wrote about the racist Peter H. Burnett, the first elected civilian governor of California and, regrettably, the namesake of Burnett Elementary School in the Poly area of Long Beach.You can t imagine our surprise <a href=http://capstone.edu.sg/images/gucciusaonlineoutlet.php> cheap gucci</a> when we woke up the next morning and it still hadn t been renamed. We used to have a lot of sway in this town. But now, even after pointing out that Burnett makes today s modern breed of racist look quaintly tolerant, we have to get up in the morning and find that there s still a Peter H. Burnett school in Long Beach, right in the middle of a neighborhood filled with the sort of people that he desperately wanted to keep out of his state. At least some readers have taken up the cause. So, when is the school name being changed????? wondered (by a factor of five) Rebecca Magdaleno Rankins. OK, let s start a movement to change the name, wrote Jane Coombs.Of the more than two dozen responses we received after the column s publication, only one reader had a good reason for keeping the school s name. Our friend Russ Parsons wrote, As a big fan of ironic history, I love this. His ghost must be perpetually tortured by it. A bit of clarification about the name comes from Claudine No Relation Burnett, who tells us that Thomas Burr Burnett was the railroad magnate who brought the first rail into Long Beach. Farmers in the then-unincorporated (and, perhaps even unnamed) area wanted a depot built where they could load their produce and named the area Burnett to flatter the man into building one. The school, then, was named Burnett, though at the time it was just named for the area that it served. In earlier days, all the Long Beach schools were named for the area where they were located Los Cerritos, Carroll Park, etc., wrote Burnett. In the 1920s it was decided <a href=http://capstone.edu.sg/clreplicashoes.php>Christian Louboutin Shoes Sale</a> to rename them after important individuals. All complied except the residents of Burnett who fought to keep the name of the school with no first name attached.In the 1970s, when the schools were looking up the individuals whose names were given to Long Beach schools, they couldn t find anyone important named Burnett except the first governor of California. The earlier history (of Thomas Burr Burnett) had been forgotten, Burnett writes. And, apparently, the history of Peter H. Burnett had been ignored.So, now what? Obviously, the name needs to be changed. Happily, it can remain Burnett. It s just the Peter H. that needs to be run out of town on a rail.Several notable Burnetts have been suggested by readers. The first came from our old schoolmate (and by old, we totally mean young ) Kristi Fischer: Let s change the name to Claudine Burnett! Others followed: From Christopher Berry: Chester Burnett Elementary. The African-American was better <a href=http://www.symbiose.ca/images/christianlouboutin.gwij.php>Christian Louboutin Outlet</a> known as the bluesman Howlin Wolf. Adds Berry: The Wolf can t be honored enough, and it would be an extra slap in the face to Peter Burnett. And our man in Sacramento, Will Shuck, suggests, simply, Carol.
