What's in a name?
“What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
William Shakespeare, Romeo & Juliet
Despite Juliet’s assertion, it isn’t that simple. Names define us as individuals with family and cultural history, and our places with often convoluted historical connotations. Names stir emotions and sometimes violent disagreements.
Chicago Audubon Society supports efforts to rename birds named after people. These mostly honor a complicated legacy that features nature appreciation but also colonialism, racism and inequality. Only a few of the people named have significant ornithological credentials, some are of dubious reputation by current standards, and many simply forgotten.
What about names of places?
Most of us are destined to be forgotten. A few people leave a lasting legacy, and they may have places named to honor them – names that are less than permanent. Formerly Stephen A. Douglas Park is now Frederick and Anna Murray-Douglass Park, as The Chicago Park District responded to community activists. Many other parks and forest preserves are named for white male political figures.
Names attached to places by a dominant group may be meaningless or worse to displaced people. Here, like almost all the United States, we have places with anglicized “Native American” names, like Chippewa and Pottawatomie – people forced from their homelands. Groves in the Cook County Forest Preserves are named Robinson and Che-che-pin-qua, and Caldwell and Sauganash, English and native names of two mixed race men who stayed here on large tracts of land they received in the treaties that forced removal of their tribes. Is that an honor for assistance or betrayal?
Who is doing the naming? To the victors the spoils, including bestowing names. Place names may subtly or directly perpetuate a cultural climate that excludes many residents. Changing place names is probably even more difficult than changing names of birds. That should not stop us from acknowledging bias and recognizing the contributions and legacy of all. Respect and inclusion matter. The least we can do is acknowledge the culture and legacy of everyone in our communities when we talk about places, no matter what name they bear.