Efforts to Rename Brady Arts District

[Conan71]

The Tulsa Race Riot is the largest boil in the city's history--perhaps in America's--so it's tough to enjoy the splendor of the place without also thinking of white men in hoods burning black businesses to the ground in an area known as Black Wall Street.

I guess if you approach everything with a victim mentality, you might wander around thinking of lynch mobs and smoke filling the air on food truck Wednesday, not being able to enjoy your banh mi.  Personally, I'm not wired that way.  If I really wanted to wax on the race riot I would go to the reconciliation park, which is another point Friedman completely ignores. That park was supposed to be the final reparation, the salve on the wound.

Thing is, however Brady's supporters want to minimize his Klan association, how much area residents, mostly white, have moved on, Tate Brady is the wrong name at the wrong time for Tulsa's newest shining community--the most vibrant in the state--especially if the reasons for not changing it are mostly covered in shopworn cliches about political correctness gone amok and/or because one knows an African American who's not offended.

I'm not a Tate Brady supporter.  I suspect the merchants in the area and others who think like me are not either.  I support the brand that is the Brady District, and I support the merchants and residents who do not wish to go through a name change.

Frankly, I don't understand the obsession with singling Brady out in the first place.  Other prominent Tulsans of the day were members of the KKK as well.  These were people who grew up with a frontier mentality, they didn't grow up in a settled, gentrified, and civilized setting as we all did.  Brady's father is reputed to have fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War.  Although Brady's views (assuming he was racist in nature) may be abhorrent in modern society, back in the day would have been completely acceptable.  It's said he eventually disassociated himself from the KKK, perhaps his views changed or the KKK became too radical for him.  I don't think anyone can really answer that.

I was born during the time the CRA's were passed, and most of the posters here were born or grew up post-CRA so most of us have never really been taught anything but racial tolerance. We all evolve and our views evolve as we get older and meet more people who are different than ourselves.  I know my views on and tolerance of homosexuality and gay marriage have evolved quite a bit.  I can admit to being one of those who taunted and teased effeminate classmates back in school.  I'd hate for my entire life to be defined by the ignorance of my younger years.

[BKDotCom]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/07/12/1222824/-The-Souls-On-In-and-Of-The-Street#

he had me at

Sparked by a marvelous story written in by Lee Roy Chapman in This Land Press (full disclosure: my girlfriend works there)

[heironymouspasparagus]

I guess if you approach everything with a victim mentality, you might wander around thinking of lynch mobs and smoke filling the air on food truck Wednesday, not being able to enjoy your banh mi.  Personally, I'm not wired that way.  If I really wanted to wax on the race riot I would go to the reconciliation park, which is another point Friedman completely ignores. That park was supposed to be the final reparation, the salve on the wound.

Just wondering who Barry Friedman is and how he became so completely out of touch with reality?  And just pure stupid, to boot...?

That comment of his about the Tulsa Race Riot being perhaps the largest boil in America's history...geez...one can only hope he was stating that as a contrarian note with no real belief attached - but it is so astonishingly, profoundly dumb that the whole point is smeared beyond any hope of recognition or redemption.

[DolfanBob]

Once again. Well said Conan. I remember reading somewhere about a Supreme Court Justice that had to distance himself from the KKK after he got to such a high profile position.

Yes ignorance and a victim of their time really is no excuse. But as a young man. I took up smoking because of friends and peer pressure. And if you look at it. Both had very long affects on participants lives.

[BKDotCom]

Is it possible we name anything after our current governor?

Then imagine 100 years in the future... some sleuth journalist unearths what a staunch opponent of gay marriage Mary Fallin was, how she cheated on her husband, etc...   This gets everyone in a tizzy to get her name removed from everything.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Is it possible we name anything after our current governor?

Then imagine 100 years in the future... some sleuth journalist unearths what a staunch opponent of gay marriage Mary Fallin was, how she cheated on her husband, etc...   This gets everyone in a tizzy to get her name removed from everything.

It would only be possible in a Bizarro world environment where there is no logical thought processes at work.  Oh, wait...yeah, I guess we will be naming stuff after her...

[sauerkraut]

Heck, just call it the "Brady Bunch" district- or say the name comes from "The Brady Bunch"-  instead of  Tate Brady... Better yet, Just say The district is named after Marsha Brady...  BTW was there not some democrat congress man named "Byrd" who was also a member of the KKK, he spent many decades in congress since he was a democrat he got a free ride.

[BKDotCom]

I guess if you approach everything with a victim mentality, you might wander around thinking of lynch mobs and smoke filling the air on food truck Wednesday, not being able to enjoy your banh mi.  Personally, I'm not wired that way.  If I really wanted to wax on the race riot I would go to the reconciliation park, which is another point Friedman completely ignores. That park was supposed to be the final reparation, the salve on the wound.

I signed up to the Daily Kos yesterday.   They require 24hrs to pass between signing up and commenting..   Anyhow, I just addressed the "how can anyone enjoy themselves mentality" with this:

I visited Hiroshima a few years ago.   It's now a very modern and thriving city.   Everyone seemed quite capable of enjoying themselves despite the horrors that occurred there in 1945.   They do, however, have several very nice memorials and museums.

Tulsa has the John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park for that very same purpose.

[Conan71]

I signed up to the Daily Kos yesterday.   They require 24hrs to pass between signing up and commenting..   Anyhow, I just addressed the "how can anyone enjoy themselves mentality" with this:

Excellent!

[CoffeeBean]

Turn the issue into a parody-party.

Every year the merchants (or others), celebrate the district's diversity by holding a mock-gay marriage with someone from Majestic giving away Brady at the alter.

Name stays, people get to hold a party and celebrate diversity, and Brady's name/history is used to show how far we've come. 

Hooray.     

[BKDotCom]

Add this to the book club's reading list:

"The Law And Morality Of Building Renaming" -
http://blurblawg.typepad.com/files/lmbr.pdf

[Downtowner]

If we have to change the name of the district, let's change it to the Founder's District.

[patric]

It's pretty much moot now:

The Brady Arts District Owners Association will not change its name or lead a community discussion on whether the city should change the name of Brady Street, according to a letter issued by the association Monday.
"Rather than seeking to revise history, today's residents, visitors and merchants should regard the name as a demonstration of a new set of principles," the letter states. "It reminds us that what is today was not always so."

[Conan71]

Though Councilor Henderson intends to proceed with making everyone feel better by pushing for the street name change.

[patric]

Though Councilor Henderson intends to proceed with making everyone feel better by pushing for the street name change.

I have to credit him with representing the wishes of his constituents, if it is indeed what his constituents want.