Reasons to change road name really don’t add up

There is no basis for changing the name of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard.

The original reason given — the only basis ever offered to consider changing the name — is that Drake, an explorer in the 16th century, participated in the slave trade. Strenuous, repeated and well-publicized efforts by several historians and academics to inform the citizens of Marin that there is more to Drake’s story have seemingly been in vain.

According to these historians, the very most that can be alleged about Drake and his connection to the slave trade is that, as a young man and junior member of his uncle’s crew, he participated in two voyages that captured slaves. It appears he was so distressed by what he experienced, he spent the rest of his life battling against slavery. He plundered Spanish ships and their cargo gained through enslaved labor. He freed enslaved people in Spanish territories.

It also appears that Drake and his crew (including his close friend Diego who he freed and then employed, along with two other freed Black slaves) established a good relationship with the Coast Miwok in 1579 during his stay in Marin. Apparently, Drake was made an honorary chief.

Since the original reasons for attempting to change the name of a boulevard traversing five towns and a large part of our county have now been shown to be more nuanced than originally alleged, these efforts should be dropped, as the Ross Town Council determined.

In order to gain fact-based knowledge of Drake, academics and scholars suggested the books “Sir Francis Drake” by John Sugden and “The Secret Voyage of Sir Francis Drake 1577-1580,” by Samuel Bawlf.

— Denise Ferry, Fairfax