Ross Council thoughtful in keeping boulevard name

On Jan. 14, the Ross Town Council voted 4-1 to keep the name Sir Francis Drake Boulevard.

Ross residents and council members care deeply about social and racial justice, and our vote should not be construed otherwise. I want to share my perspective about our decision.

Following George Floyd’s horrific murder, a petition was started to remove the name

Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. This was based on a theory that Drake, who landed in Marin in 1579 and was the first person to circumnavigate the globe, was “a slave trader and enslaved people,” and thus a symbol of White supremacy.

A county committee, on which I served, was formed to explore this issue. Listening and learning sessions were held.

Removing Drake’s name rests on a cursory, selective assessment of history. Turning to experts, a very different picture emerges. During the learning session, it was recommended that the committee read an article by John Sugden, the leading Drake scholar who holds advanced degrees in modern history and social sciences from three British universities.

Sugden acknowledged that, as a very young man, Drake served on two slave ship voyages captained by his cousin, John Hawkins. But Sugden also discussed how Drake changed into an unusually enlightened person for his time.

“Today there are those who seize upon Drake’s early service on slave ships to damn him as a white supremacist,” Sugden wrote. “But his record with black and Native American peoples is unusual, perhaps remarkable. … Much of what he said and did about tolerance, respect and affection for coloured races seems remarkably modern.”

Colin Hoch, a Yale Ph.D. candidate in renaissance studies, wrote a letter to the committee explaining that despite Drake’s early, secondary role in the slave trade, his primary legacy remains that of an explorer, navigator and military leader worthy of commemoration.

Hoch pointed out that an African named Diego, whom Drake helped liberate from Spanish slavery, served as a paid and invaluable member of Drake’s crew.

He concluded that Drake cannot in any historically accurate sense be considered a figure of White supremacy.

During another committee meeting, the book title “In the Shadow of Statues,” by former New Orleans mayor Mitch Landrieu, was recommended to illustrate how removal of symbols would help address systemic racism.

Landrieu wrote that it was essential to remove Confederate statues erected during the Jim Crow era; these were intended to intimidate and oppress Black people.

But having a street named for Drake is a vastly different situation. When the road was renamed in 1929-31, there was no intention to intimidate or oppress. The goal was to create community excitement, to bring commerce to west Marin on the newly paved road.

Besides being based on flawed rationale, what kind of precedent would this set? Are we going to permanently eliminate figures who may have made a mistake early in life, even if they redeemed themselves later? Should we use today’s standards to judge historical figures? Should we eliminate George Washington and Thomas Jefferson? What about the Spanish mission names in Marin; or Chartes Fairfax, Albert Kent and John Muir?

Before our council meeting, Ross community members sent dozens of emails, all opposed to changing the name. Many were from residents and business owners on the boulevard, extremely concerned about how it would adversely affect them.

Proponents for the change have claimed that renaming is appropriate because a 3-mile portion of the 43-mile road is being updated. This is not a compelling reason.

The effort to change the name is based on a partial assessment of Drake’s life and history. Proponents seem to have recognized this; their focus is shifting to a name change to honor the Miwoks. But Drake did not confiscate the Miwok’s land; instead, he befriended them. Certainly there are ways to honor the Miwoks without erasing history while disrupting residents and businesses.

It would neither accomplish real change nor advance social justice. We need empathy, not inaccurate demonization of an important historical explorer. Unlike a Confederate war figure, Drake is not a symbol of systemic racism. Our communities’ efforts are better directed towards truly making a difference by addressing education, housing, health care and economic inequality.