by David Abdel
Not sure if you’ve had the chance to review the proposed street name options brought forth by the Rebel Road/FM 150 renaming committee or not, but suffice it to say they are less than desirable.
First and foremost, it should be stated emphatically that the road needs to be renamed, and we should all simply accept that. How this is divisive to some is beyond my comprehension.
There are those brave few souls who vocalize their disdain for changing the Rebel name. They often argue...
by David Abdel
Not sure if you’ve had the chance to review the proposed street name options brought forth by the Rebel Road/FM 150 renaming committee or not, but suffice it to say they are less than desirable.
First and foremost, it should be stated emphatically that the road needs to be renamed, and we should all simply accept that. How this is divisive to some is beyond my comprehension.
There are those brave few souls who vocalize their disdain for changing the Rebel name. They often argue “tradition” and how we shouldn’t “ignore history.” I find this comical because the history in question here is a failed, treasonous, separatist movement that for some reason is still partially glorified in part of the country. Kyle shouldn’t be one of them. To say that the “rebel” in question could mean a multitude of things, and not be a specific reference to the Confederacy, is insulting to everyone. We can remember the disdainful part of our past without providing monument. I assure you, no German is ignoring their contemptuous history and to the best of my knowledge there is no Reich Boulevard anywhere in Germany.
One of the names put forth was Dr. James White Drive. For those not in the know, it was provided that Dr. White was the first physician here in Kyle. Pages and pages of Google searches couldn’t verify this, although I’m sure it is accurate. The issue here is that it would be called simply … White Drive. Now I don’t know about you, but taking away a street name based on a white supremacist movement, and replacing it with “White Drive” sounds a little too “six of one and a half dozen of the other”-ish. At that point why not just name it Manifest Destiny Boulevard or Trail of Tears … Trail. So, that one is out.
Next we have MLK Boulevard. Now, nothing against that name, but there is an MLK Boulevard in almost every town in America. He is celebrated world over. I just don’t see the need to have a street in Kyle named after him, when if we wanted to use someone’s name for the road, we could name it after someone who has a local connection to our community. Not to mention this seems reactionary to the current road name. Just because we are doing away with a racist name, doesn’t mean we have to name the road after something undeniably ANTI-racist.
One option is to name the road after Silvestre S. Herrera, a famed Mexcian American war hero. While I like this idea, once again, he does not have a tie to our community, although there is a tie to the state. Other options, like Freedom Drive and Resilience Drive just seem to be trying too hard to make a point. Which is where I think this naming committee is failing. I think they are trying to make a point with the name of the road, that will leave everyone satisfied; a futile task if you ask me.
My suggestion, at this point, is to give it an innocuous name that is unbothersome to everyone. I’ve heard “Bluebonnet” bandied about, and I like that. I mean, who doesn’t like bluebonnets? Unoffensive, native, simple. Let’s not try to be political, historical, or topical. It’s a tiny stretch, don’t overthink it, just name it. Or don’t? No Name Road has a nice ring to it.