Bill Betzen Verified

What is an immigration posting doing here? Cesar Chavez was against the illegal immigration of laborers who were often used to break up his unionization efforts. He actually worked against the Bracero program that was being used to fight his unionization of farm workers. Chavez used to say that the UFW was born the day the Bracero program was abolished in 1964. Many people have their facts wrong about Cesar Chavez and his work. Go to http://www.studentmotivation.org/litt... to see many more details about his life that may help in understanding the renaming of Ross Avenue for this great leader in human rights.

4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Blake Ramick Verified

"less than $10,000 for the city to change street signs. Businesses would have a year to change their addresses on letterhead."

There's more to be changed then just a letterhead. There's business cards, envelopes, websites, exterior signs, interior signs, vinyl wraps, painting, magnets, stationary, online directories, MAPS!!!, etc etc. And then of course there is the post office. It'll take months before that fiasco is cleared up. And it's going to cost a lot more. And all for what reason, so we can honor a person by naming a street after them?

What a waste of time and money. Why don't we focus on stuff that's going to make a difference in moving Dallas forward. Changing a street sign name isn't going to do much good.

My street name

4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Blake Ramick Verified

heeheheh, BobS you barely beat me to my post.

4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Howard Wen Verified

I totally predicted that this would become a controversy when I first saw the online survey months ago. Chavez's was the only person's name on that list, and the other choices were boring, generic titles related to the Trinity River (yawners like "Waterfront Way," "Trinity View Dr," "Pricey Condo Front Boulevard," and somesuch). But I knew that Chavez was going to win -- one reason being because that his name was the only choice named after a person.

What really surprised me was that Stanley Marcus was not on that list.

4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Michael Davis Verified

Correction: there was never a vote on the street name in the meeting mentioned. The committee voted to hold it until August 5th. That's why it's on the coming Trinity River Committee agenda.

Some folks in the Latino community have talked about other streets like Webb Chapel and Singleton.

Others on here raised an interesting question.. Who pays for the business owners' costs?

4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Ruth Ferguson Verified

Good evening all,

Michael - what meeeting are you referring to when you reference "meeting mentioned" I think the only reference I made was "However, Ruiz said at each meeting of the Task Force Ross Avenue picked up more adherences." You know when you are rushing for a deadline, you can make mistakes and so I want to correct any error. Thanks!!!

Bob & Blake - when I received this assignment that was my first question. However, it was pointed out to me that the business owners on Industrial Blvd will have the same issues - and there appears to be no major outcry.

According to the meeting minutes Eddie Bernice Johnson Pkwy [longtime congresswoman still serving on behalf of the city] was also considered. http://www.dallascityhall.com/committ...

4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Jason Rice Verified

::the business owners on Industrial Blvd will have the same issues

Industrial Blvd know there's a lot of money being thrown at a promotion and development project so there is a reason to join. If I were a little business guy on Ross, I don't think I'd be as enthusiastic about being a bone the city threw to a special interest.

I guess we'll see. I think the small merchants in Dallas are pretty used to being trampled. Otherwise you'd see a thriving downtown instead of flourishing suburban town centers.

4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Andrew Laska Verified

So I have a question or two about street name changes in general. Singleton, Ross, and Webb Chapel were all named after significant people or places weren't they?

Are those people or places no longer significant enough to honor?

Cesar Chavez aside -- If someone wants to change any street named after something or someone historic, then that person or group ought to be able to explain why the previous name holder no longer merits the title.

4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Bill Betzen Verified

Andrew, you ask "Singleton, Ross, and Webb Chapel were all named after significant people or places weren't they? Are those people or places no longer significant enough to honor?"

The selection of the Ross street was not guided by the name of the street but the location combined with at a minimum of over 12 other considerations that all came together to come to the selection of Ross. I invite you to study one emumeration of the many reasons for this recommendation for a name change down the page at http://www.studentmotivation.org/litt....

In this entire process one goal is to revive a more detailed memory of the Ross brothers that is more well known by more people in Dallas. Few people currently know them. With a Texas State Historical marker placed at the intersection of Ross and North Market, the most walked intersection on Ross, more people will be exposed to the history of the Ross brothers.

However, in doing the research for this possible marker it was found that originally this intersection was not Ross but was named Carondolet in the original street names given in 1856. Sometime from 1930 to 1938 the name Carondolet disappeared from Dallas street maps and Ross was extended about 5 blocks to replace Carondolet. Should the marker include the Carondolet name as well? That is an issue the city council should address.

These plans should increase significantly the number of Dallas citizens who know who the Ross brothers were. One of the brothers had at least one daughter but she, or her children, have not yet been located. You are asking good questions. Thank you.

4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Michael Davis Verified

Hi Ruth - I was just referring to what happened in the Trinity River Committee meeting last time. I can't speak for the chavez task force

4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Andrew Laska Verified

Mr Betzen,

I appreciate the input and the background. I took it for granted there was history behind the name. There always is. You didn't answer the question. Let me rephrase.

The question is this: If you have street named for historical person/thing X, and then someone wants to rename it to Y, then why is X no longer deserving of the name?

If (by your information) you mean that the Ross name can be removed and replaced with Cesar Chavez and to compensate the remembrance of Ross one places a historical marker in a corner and that then is sufficient to honor Ross, then that implies a different question. Wouldn't it then be sufficient to simply place a marker or a display in a public area honoring Cesar Chavez rather than changing names of streets and wouldn't that be sufficient? After all, if its good enough to honor Ross then it ought to be good enough to honor Cesar Chavez.

I ask these questions not because I hold a certain position on whether any street name gets changed from something or to any thing else. I ask them because if one follows the logic of criteria about what counts as worthy of a street name then they are simply questions which naturally flow out.

4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Scott Doyle Verified

There's already been much bickering and banter on this over here, here, and here (forgive me if I left anybody out).

The assailed dead horse asks for your sympathy.

And for the record, pic in this story reiterates my point - Simpson's Austin did it! (building in background is Frost Bank Tower)

4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Andrew Laska Verified

Scott,

If someone sufficiently answered my question, then I'd like to be directed to that answer. If not I'd say the horse is still running across the field.

4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Scott Doyle Verified

When they name it Riverfront Boulevard, Trinity Lakes Boulevard, Trinityview Boulevard or Waterfront Boulevard as announced previously...your question will be moot.

Clearly, it's not a matter of historical relevance. It's a matter of how many streets must be renamed before the City Council beats those dissenting the Trinity Project into submission.

4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Andrew Laska Verified

Scott,

Clearly we are discussing a different "it."

I was talking about Ross, and the other streets that were under consideration. The title of the piece is "Dallas should rename Ross Avenue for Cesar Chavez"

4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Bill Betzen Verified

Andew, thank you for the clarification. You write: "The question is this: If you have street named for historical person/thing X, and then someone wants to rename it to Y, then why is X no longer deserving of the name?"

Excellent clarification!

There are many streets in Dallas named after people whom you rarely, if ever, read about in history books. The Ross brothers are two such individuals. Their names are rarely, if ever, heard by the normal high school student in Dallas. I doubt there are even 100 people in Dallas who knew of them before this debate on Ross Avenue being renamed started. Oh, people certainly knew somebody with that name existed, but did they did not know who they were, or what they did. Maybe a few people knew their names.

In situations like this the very debate about a potential name change does great honor to the memory of the Ross brothers. Their memory is revived! Sadly, if nothing new happens, their memory will quickly fade. Thirty years from now there will be exactly the situation we had 6 months ago: a street named Ross and nobody knowing anything about the people for whom it was named. Is this description correct? Would not a historical marker on a busy intersection assure that 30 years from now more people will know more details about the Ross brothers than they do now?

Then you asked: "If (by your information) you mean that the Ross name can be removed and replaced with Cesar Chavez and to compensate the remembrance of Ross one places a historical marker in a corner and that then is sufficient to honor Ross, then that implies a different question. Wouldn't it then be sufficient to simply place a marker or a display in a public area honoring Cesar Chavez rather than changing names of streets and wouldn't that be sufficient? After all, if its good enough to honor Ross then it ought to be good enough to honor Cesar Chavez."

Excellent! You are really thinking about this.

Two answers: First - I think there is little doubt that with a permanent historical marker for the Ross brothers on the proposed intersection, more people will know about the Ross brothers than at any time in the last 50 years. Several thousand people a day walk through that intersection. Many are tourists. Many will stop and read the marker and learn about two of the pioneers of Dallas, and maybe the Spanish Governor of the Louisana/West Florida Area if the Council wants that name included. Would you agree with that?

Second: The name Cesar Chavez does not need to be advertised in the same way. His memory is already in the history books. Students hear about him in school. His name is in many other locations. He will be known 30 years from now no matter what we do. Putting his name on a street does honor him more and make even more people aware of this unusually talented leader. But it does something additional that is critically different. It helps the culture he came from (that is the USA! Not Mexico! That is us!) be proud of the leadership the freedoms in our country allow to come forward. Putting his name on this street is much bigger than just a memorial! It is a completely different level of action. It is the type of movement that says Dallas is finally becoming a city with culture. One whose infrastructure reflects more than mere practical considerations. We are growing up and can acknowledge our heroes who took unusual personal risks in their work to change our culture.

I welcome your continued questions. They are good.

4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Scott Doyle Verified

Oh, ha, didn't even realize it was a different street we were talking about renaming.

So people are basically butthurt that Industrial won't be Cesar Chavez, so now they're going after another major street? I standby Austin having already beat us to the punch, regardless. Christ, is it that big of a deal?

Hope the City Council steps in and names it one of the water-related streets that Industrial doesn't get changed to. Not worth this kind of time and/or attention. Do something constructive, pls.

4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Tracy Yost Verified

First, if Dallas is to become known as a city with culture, we'll have to do more than rename our streets. Second, streets in Dallas that are currently named to honor Dallas pioneers do not need to be renamed to honor a civil rights activist who's primary accomplishments were achieved in CA. If we want to honor Cesar Chavez, we should put a historical marker down at Farmers Market, because that's more appropriate to his work.

Industrial Blvd is a different story - just about anything would be an improvement.

ps. I lived in San Fran in the mid 90s when they wanted to rename Army st. to Cesar Chavez. Army st. is a major street and as one might imagine, the business owners were NOT happy about this. They ended up changing the name anyway, at least for part of the street, but many of the businesses did not change their names. So now you have Army Street Bingo located on Cesar Chavez St.

4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Andrew Laska Verified

I was going to say something like Yost's first point but I got beaten to it.

Let me mention two examples of influential people to put it in perspective.

Jack Kilby. He invented the integrated circuit in Dallas and the proliferation of which is quickly becoming as influential over the globe as the printing press and the automobile have been. This invention will be felt long after I am long long gone.

Norman Bourlag. So called father of the Green Revolution that exported modern farming techniques to countries with pre modern farming namely India, Mexico, and Pakistan. This staved off famines for millions and by some accounts he has saved more lives than any other person in human history. He won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. Also, last I checked he lives in Dallas.

When I compare these people's influence worldwide (let alone within dallas) AND we compare their connection to Dallas to Cesar Chavez, I find they come out way way ahead. None have streets named after them in Dallas as far as I know. That's not to knock Cesar Chavez but when we open the doors wide open all sorts of names pop up.

4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Scott Doyle Verified

I need to stop commenting while inebriated.

Anyways, am I the only person who believes renaming of a street should only be considered for hyper-local reasons? Trinity Project, as much as I despise its existence, is a reasonable cause to consider a name change. Someone who was integral in revamping the neighborhood a street runs through...qualifies for renaming.

Cats who are long gone and may not have ever even traveled down that street - not really worth renaming it for, imo. DO SOMETHING USEFUL WITH YOUR TIME!!!

4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Jason Rice Verified

With you 100% Scott.

How do we get these folks interested in redirecting their energies towards slapping this name on the giant NAFTA highway instead?

Ya gotta admire that as a firm possibility -- and it would be a magical irony, no?

4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Scott Doyle Verified

Revamp its neighborhood!

4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Bill Betzen Verified

Bob, Thanks for the good words. Now I want to build off Scott's quote, "Anyways, am I the only person who believes renaming of a street should only be considered for hyper-local reasons" and reply to the concerns voiced by Andrew about local people who may have actually achieved more by their life's achievements. Jack Kilby is a favorite of mine. I teach 7th grade Computer Applications and teach about him constantly. His invention has changed the world, and that change has just barely began. I tell my students that in 1979 I upgraded by TRS-80 from 16k RAM to 64K Ram at a cost of $500. That's a penny per byte. Now I have a laptop with 2 Gig of RAM. At 1979 prices of one penny per byte that would now cost over $20,000,000 - and I would not have a laptop. Such is the revolution Kilby started.

But back to Scott's quote, "Anyways, am I the only person who believes renaming of a street should only be considered for hyper-local reasons" Here are some reasons the Cesar Chavez name is a local issue:

1) The City Council messed up with the Industrial Avenue public survey or we would not be here. That started the entire movement when 52% of the respondante were ignored and 18% of the respondents are winning. We risk another mega-march, hopefully of less than 500,000 this time because things will not be as peaceful. Did anyone on this list see the 1973 march downtown following the shooting in the head of a handcuffed Hispanic teenager in the back of a DPD police car by a police officer? I was working and drove down Commerce going to a home visit in East Dallas just after the march. I saw the smoking police motorcycle on the Commerce/Harwood intersection and the broken windows. It was not pretty. After that I was in seventh heaven on 4-9-06 to witness the Mega March.

2) The Ross issue could not be more local. Ross was the southern border of Little Mexico. See the map linked from http://www.studentmotivation.org/litt.... The northeast end of Little Mexico is now over 65% Hispanic with 62% of businesses on Ross being Hispanic. Every Sunday the largest gathering of Hispanics in North Texas happens at the Cathedral of Guadalupe.

3) Cesar Chavez is a hero to many, many families, most of whom are Hispanic, and many had him in their homes here in Dallas as he was raising money for his organization efforts in Austin and South Texas and the Texas Panhandle. He had a special devotion to the Virgin of Guadalupe and there are many photos of him with her image that was present in many of his organizing events.

4) He often spoke of the critical role of education. It is very appropriate that DISD offices are on Ross, and DISD board members are supporting this change due to that connection and the fact that 70% of the first grade students in Dallas ISD are Hispanic.

While there are many more people with connections to Dallas who have achieved more, what connections do they have to Ross Avenue?

While over 43% of Dallas citizens are Hispanic, and only 23% are non-hispanic black, and only 29% are non-hispanic white, we do not have a single street I am aware of downtown with a name people would identify as Hispanic. Does anyone know of one?

4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Bill Betzen Verified

I forgot to ask. Would anyone on this list want to help us present this in front of the Trinity Committee of the City Council in the morning tomorrow about 9 AM? Details are at the Cesar Chavez Taskforce web site that is linked down the page from http://www.studentmotivation.org/litt.... With good public support in the morning this case should go on to the city council for final approval. Hopefully what should be a simple process will not get blown up to something less than positive for the City of Dallas. Logic must prevail. I pray it does.

4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Scott Doyle Verified

So, he was a hispanic leader somewhere else...therefore anywhere a concentration of hispanic peeps springs up he should be commemorated by changing a street name?

Ross trumps Chavez on this one, imo. Especially since the bros were local to Dallas. Aside from all that, Chavez already has a major street in Austin...where it was simply his influence from afar that motivated local peeps to start a movement of their own (not seeing any interwebs text of him stepping foot in Texas).

Irony in all of this is that a gentleman named Fred Ross created the Community Service Organization (CSO) where Chavez learned his organizational ways (clicky hiyah). Hence, the street is aptly named and it'd be much more fitting to commemorate Chavez in another light (e.g. a statue). One came before another back then, why not now?

Seriously, there must be something better y'all can do with your time. I sincerely hope a city councilman person sees this before tomorrow morning, btw.

4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Tracy Yost Verified

(as stated before, I'm for keeping Ross and honoring Mr. Chavez in some more appropriate way). Doyle has a good point tho - on statues!! I have had the good fortune to visit many cities "of culture" - CONUS and other. One thing we are sorely lacking in (compared to other "cities of culture") is statues. I'm just sayin'.....

4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Robert Kelly Verified

I live on Ross, who is going to pay to change my stationary?

4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Bill Betzen Verified

plsii asks: "how can you name a street at this point after chavez and it be sincere..."

plsii, for a start you can list a number of reasons for the change, and research the implications of the change, and find a way for more people to know about the positive contributions of the Ross brothers than at any time in the past 100 years in the process and from this date forward. I hope you have read my posts above addressing those issues. If you have not, and you refuse to reply to the issues that have been enumerated for the benefit of renaming Ross Avenue in honor of Cesar Chavez, how can we believe your opposition is sincere?

3 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Scott Doyle Verified

And your thoughts on keeping Ross Ave the way it is since Freddy taught Caesar his trade?

3 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Rick Yost Verified

Doyle- wasn't dissing you dude. Just doing my thang. Hell, you are our comic-relief on Pegasus News.

3 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Scott Doyle Verified

I'm honestly confused, Rick. Where's the potential diss?

3 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Bill Betzen Verified

Doyle, I agree with you. It is very ironic that the Industrial Areas Foundation staff who trained Cesar Chavez in community organization and how to organize groups happened to be named Fred Ross. That is certainly interesting. I do not think it is much beyond that, but it is a hit many of us got as we googled "Cesar Chavez" and Ross.

Andrew, I agree fully with you about the 1973 riots in Dallas. Such a threat would NEVER be endorsed by anyone who truly supports Cesar Chavez. That is in no way consistent with Mr. Chavez' philosophy of non-violence.

Regarding Little Mexico, in the 1920's there were hundreds of stately homes all over the City of Dallas. Ross Avenue was not that unique. However, Little Mexico was. It was the largest community of Hispanic people in the city and, as I understand it, the ONLY place they could go to school with St. Anns school there. That is significantly more important and worthy of historical mention that the mansions on Ross Avenue. However, in US culture in Dallas in 2008, what gets the most attention? The ghetto area with thousands of poor? or the mansion with a hand full of residents?

How well do you know the history of Cesar Chavez and the importance of the Lady of Quadalupe in his work? The significance of his name being on the street that is the address for the Cathedral of Guadalupe is immensely powerful!

Could you please elaborate on what you meant when you wrote: "thanks for the race baiting regarding a hispanic named downtown street." I want to be certain I understand what you are saying.

3 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Scott Doyle Verified

Britain & France got their hands dirty in Mexican history, too...not to mention those sly conquistadors. Where's the love for those cats?

Better yet, why don't we just renovate Dallas to mirror Mexico City? We could totally paint all the gringos brown, dye their hair, and name them after every person who might have been remotely related to Chavez ancestry or descendants.

3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Dallas Spohn Verified

Joey, those are not reasons, those are conditions. Besides it wasn't even Ross ave they wanted to change anyway. It was Industrial Blvd. So why are you lying about it being because the DISD is off of Ross? Last, who really cares about how many kindergarten children are Hispanic. This is about Dallas and it's people (businesses). Not just the Hispanics. Let me ask you this, If Texas was opened to Indians (from India) and the influx of people made next years kindergarten class mostly Indian. By your reasoning we should change Caesar Chaves Ave. to Gandhi Ave? The Hispanics are welcome here. We have many names that are Hispanic in nature and we celebrate a lot of your holidays. Heck I could be wrong but isn’t Texas a Spanish word?

3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Scott Doyle Verified

For the record, I wouldn't mind a namesake crusade for a local hispanic. That makes sense.

Insisting we drop everything and rename our streets after people who probably never even stepped foot in Dallas does not. If that's your game, I demand we rename 75 after John Dunlap.

Dallas_Spohn, quite right. Per our online almanac, Texas, or Tejas, was the Spanish pronunciation of a Caddo Indian word meaning "friends" or "allies."

3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Susan Thornton Verified

My suggestion still stands to rename Chevez Ave. in Oak Cliff to Chavez. It's only a couple blocks long, but I think that's plenty.

3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Jason Rice Verified

Joey - man, I live on the crappiest named street in the metroplex - seriously - and I moved here anyway. If the name of the street was going to persuade anyone of anything, then the builders of Guadalupe should have been sensitive to that.

Or maybe they just wanted to integrate into an already thriving community.

3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Rick Yost Verified

I've said it before and I'll say it again... you can't customize every part of life to your liking- get over it! Our technological society is full of options, choices, pull-down menus, preferences, double-clicked selections, and alternative default settings. This is apparently bleeding over into real life from the matrix to where we feel we can just wave our hand and all things conform to our chosen format.

By changing any street name- a street name that at one time someone thought was a good name, we are ignoring our city's history. We are apparently ashamed of our city's history.

Just like the guy, who after hearing local election results goes out and puts the winner's bumper sticker on his car so folks will think he was behind the winner all along...
we want to change a major street name so it will sound like it fits its surroundings- giving the first time visitor the impression that it was meant to be.
What a load of wasted tortillas.

I'm reminded of Monty Python's 'Castle Anthrax'.

3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Bill Betzen Verified

It appears the Cesar Chavez Task Force is the only group paying attention to, and respecting, all of Dallas History.

Rick Yost writes: "By changing any street name- a street name that at one time someone thought was a good name, we are ignoring our city's history. We are apparently ashamed of our city's history."

Rick, if even one tenth of one percent of the people in Dallas knew the history of the Ross Brothers I would consider the possiblity you may have a point. Sadly, that is simply not the case. Ross Avenue is a "generic street name" if there ever was one.

When you ask who Ross Avenue is named for, the most common answer of those who know, or who have lived, much of our cities history, is that they think Ross Avenue was named after the early Texas Governor "Sol" Ross. Almost nobody knew the history of Ross Avenue prior to the recent work of the Cesar Chavez Task Force who brought up this issue, and they have offered to pay for a historical marker at the main entry to the West End to help remedy this lack of awareness of the Ross Brothers in Dallas history. The Ross Brothers should be known! A four letter street name alone does not do that! We may want to consider a second historical marker on the eastern end of Ross Avenue, that will remain named as Ross Avenue, southeast of Greenville!

All of Dallas history must be known. Do you want to leave out the thousands who lived for generations in Little Mexico? The southern border of Little Mexico, Ross Avenue, can be now renamed Cesar Chavez to acknowledge some of this wonderful Hispanic history that helped build our city.

Do you not want the details of the lives of the Ross Brothers to be known?

Are you selective in the history you want to ignore?

3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Rick Yost Verified

Bill Betzen- Just the fact that there is a Cesar Chavez Task Force makes me think you need a life. With all the serious problems that the Hispanic community faces, it's great that you use a task force to change a freakin' street name. Good work Bill. You go boy!

And the "History" I'm talking about is the history that's already done. You know...like...history! The streets that have been named, should stay as they are.
If you want to get a newly constructed street named after CC, that's fine.

And I don't know squat about the Ross Brothers, but I've been walking and driving up and down Ross since I was seven years old. That's almost 45 years.
Now, because you don't feel you get enough respect from the world, you want to change the name to something that will make you feel special. You seem self-image challenged to me.

As a Texan, the Hispanic community has been a part of my entire life. I eat your food, I drink your tequila, I listen to and even play your music, I live and work among you and have Hispanic friends and relationships. My personal ancestral heritage includes the Irish and the American Indian. You don't see me on a crusade to change Elm street to Sequoia Drive or McMahon Street do you?

I suppose if you folks bitch and whine enough, you'll be given what you want.
This is such a great way to be celebrated as a race Bill. My sombrero's off to ya!

3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Bill Betzen Verified

Mike,

While the people you list are leaders, the differences between the status of Cesar Chavez and the others you listed are an indication you do not know much about Cesar Chavez. His name is in most recent U.S. history books.

He was last in Dallas in 1991. Many in Dallas walked with him in Austin and the Valley. He has a strong presence in the Hispanic community. It is his name they selected! He also has received major honors from the US Government, the Medal of Freedom, as well as honors from the Catholic Church, the Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth) Award. Go to http://Amazon.com and you will find him mentioned in over 4,000 publications, several hundred of which are about him or his writings.

What have you read about Cesar Chavez? How many that you listed have more than one or two books written about their lives and their work?

As with any powerful icon, too many in the Hispanic community, and the general Dallas community, do not know about him. He is a mentor the large majority of students in Dallas ISD can identify with. Such mentors are needed who value education.

3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Jason Rice Verified

And the only way possible in this whole wide universe to truly honor someone is to rename a street from something distinctly local to something distinctly race/heritage resonant.

Rosa Parks

'kay.

3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Bill Betzen Verified

Cesar Chavez does not need any honor from Dallas. Dallas needs Cesar Chavez.

Dallas needs the example the name of Cesar Chavez can repeatedly remind our city and our children of as they see the street name. The Cesar Chavez name placed on Ross Avenue southwest of Greenville will say something very positive about Dallas, and the example we want our children exposed to.

Study the life of Cesar Chavez and you will understand.

To have the Dallas ISD Administrative offices on Cesar Chavez Avenue will be a positive statement for all students.

3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Rick Yost Verified

Cesar Chavez News. You've got balls Mike.

3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Collin Gouldin Verified

come on bill,... PLEASE pull though!!! :-)

3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Jason Rice Verified

Cheers to THE man.

3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Bill Betzen Verified

Mike, you write as if Cesar Chavez is one of the "Great Men (and Women) who have nothing to do with our cities."

As you meet and talk with more and more of the Hispanic citizens in Dallas you will find that many of them have connections with farm work and the work of Cesar Chavez to improve those working conditions. Migrant farm work is a relatively common experience among the ancestors of many current Dallas citizens. Many also walked in South Texas with Cesar Chavez when he worked to improve working conditions in Texas.

3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Bill Betzen Verified

And what about the Mega-March that gathered and marched down Ross Avenue on 4-9-06? Was that not a perfect example of the peaceful principles Cesar Chavez urged us to use for a demonstration?

When was the last time a half-million gathered in one place in Texas, or elsewhere in the southwest, to demonstrate for a cause, and there was only one arrest?