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Post by HCFC45 on Oct 12, 2022 8:58:48 GMT -5
From today's Worcester Telegram... (Dean Wormer.. delete if you you think this is too controversial.....) www.telegram.com/story/news/2022/10/11/umass-chan-medical-school-calls-renaming-plantation-street/8237634001/Believe both Dr. Michael Collins and Che Anderson are both HC graduates.... UMass Chan Medical School calls for renaming of Plantation Street, citing connotation of slavery Marco Cartolano Telegram & Gazette WORCESTER — Citing connotations of "oppression in our country," UMass Chan Medical School is petitioning the City Council to change the name of Plantation Street, Plantation Parkway and Plantation Terrace. UMass Chan's address is listed as 55 N. Lake Ave., but Plantation Street runs along the campus and is the street drivers often use to enter the campus. The petition was submitted by Ché Anderson, assistant vice chancellor for city and community relations at UMass Chan, at the request of the medical school and Chancellor Michel F. Collins. Anderson is expected to speak before the City Council Wednesday in support of the name changes. "The word 'plantation' connotes oppression in our country and serves as a reminder of the painful history of slavery in America," the petition reads. The term "plantation" in the United States is often associated with agricultural estates where the owners purchased Black slaves to perform forced labor before the emancipation of slaves. The history of Plantation Street is detailed in the 1948 book "Your Worcester Streets," by Ivan Sandroff. He wrote that the trail that would become Plantation Street was initially known as Love Lane. The road was the first laid out in Quinsigamond Plantation, the name of the original settlement of Worcester. The road was built out of a need of a thoroughfare from the north end of the plantation to connect with the Nipmuc Trail. Marlina Duncan, vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion at UMass Chan, said the petition is part of the medical school's "reflection process" in considering how inclusive the physical space is for students, faculty and visitors. UMass Chan strategic plan The medical school added a diversity, equity and inclusion pillar to its strategic plan in February 2021, Duncan said. "One of the priority areas of that plan is to really focus on our culture and our climate at the institution," Duncan said, "And that includes the physical space that we're on." The name change is one of many initiatives that Duncan said the medical school hopes will improve the physical space and be a part of ongoing discussions on race and racism within the medical school and in the broader medical field. She added that the medical school being silent and not at least having the conversation with the city over the street names would "speak volumes." Duncan said the medical school has heard from faculty, visitors and students that the name "Plantation Street" conjures up the violence and oppression associated with the practice of slavery in the country's history. Petition before Worcester City Council UMass Chan is hoping that the petition and Anderson's address to the City Council starts the conversation on changing the names. "We want to be part of the process," Duncan said. "We're not placing any demands on the city, but we want to start a conversation and be in community with the city with making this important change." Requests to rename streets, school buildings and to remove statues of figures who have taken part in racist actions or policies in the country's past have become divisive topics throughout the U.S. following the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. Those opposed to renaming or removing monuments claim that they are an attempt to suppress history or spread an anti-American ideology. Duncan said that by changing the street names, the history will still remain and that the name can currently signal a celebration of the history of slavery. "The history still remains and I don't think that we in any way want to celebrate the unjust legacy of slavery and violence in our country," Duncan said. She added that changing the street names could amplify conversations about what the term "plantation" can mean for some citizens and why it should not be prominently featured in the city.
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Post by sader1970 on Oct 12, 2022 9:18:11 GMT -5
Well, of course! If you can't name a state "Plantation," how could you name a street? This was in 2020 and, to be honest, I forgot the result and even how I voted on the subject. I think I voted for removing the name as I just thought it was stupid. Forget the "plantation" part of it, the "Providence" part was stupid for a state. How about the "Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Boston Center?"
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Post by sader1970 on Oct 12, 2022 9:18:57 GMT -5
P.S> to 45. I saw the article and purposely didn't post it.
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Post by Sons of Vaval on Oct 12, 2022 9:20:31 GMT -5
Maybe we should delete the word "plantation" from the dictionary? Might help solving a lot of problems.
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Post by Tom on Oct 12, 2022 9:37:17 GMT -5
I think this is on the docket for the city council tonight
For those that don't know, Plantation St is one of the longest streets in the city running from Rt 70 at Great Brook Valley to Rt 122 Grafton St at Rice Sq. Mostly residential but a decent amount of commercial too.
The article doesn't say if UMass is offering to pick up the costs for businesses to change their address. It's not a huge factor, but things like letterheads, forms, business cards, signage out front need to be changed and that does cost money
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Post by Tom on Oct 12, 2022 10:08:53 GMT -5
From today's Worcester Telegram... (Dean Wormer.. delete if you you think this is too controversial.....) The name change is one of many initiatives that Duncan said the medical school hopes will improve the physical space and be a part of ongoing discussions on race and racism within the medical school and in the broader medical field. A name change can be part of ongoing discussions on race. I don't understand how a name change will improve the physical space of the campus. By the way, Che is indeed a Crusader from the class of 2011. Before his current position at UMass he worked in the City Manager's office, so he would be very familiar with all the players to make this happen
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Post by HCFC45 on Oct 12, 2022 14:09:19 GMT -5
Click on the link above the copied article and scroll down to the end and click on the "comments" section...
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Post by hcpride on Oct 12, 2022 14:41:30 GMT -5
From today's Worcester Telegram... (Dean Wormer.. delete if you you think this is too controversial.....) www.telegram.com/story/news/2022/10/11/umass-chan-medical-school-calls-renaming-plantation-street/8237634001/Believe both Dr. Michael Collins and Che Anderson are both HC graduates.... UMass Chan Medical School calls for renaming of Plantation Street, citing connotation of slavery Marco Cartolano Telegram & Gazette WORCESTER — Citing connotations of "oppression in our country," UMass Chan Medical School is petitioning the City Council to change the name of Plantation Street, Plantation Parkway and Plantation Terrace. The history of Plantation Street is detailed in the 1948 book "Your Worcester Streets," by Ivan Sandroff. He wrote that the trail that would become Plantation Street was initially known as Love Lane. The road was the first laid out in Quinsigamond Plantation, the name of the original settlement of Worcester. The road was built out of a need of a thoroughfare from the north end of the plantation to connect with the Nipmuc Trail. ... Is there any evidence that slaves were housed on the Plantation Street in question? Or, derivatively, the Quinsigamond Plantation? Or is it the p-word itself that is offensive to some?
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Post by Wormtown Railers Fan on Oct 12, 2022 15:33:08 GMT -5
Just goes to show the administrator that put forth this idea must have absolutely nothing to do with his time. Perhaps it is time for the UMass Medical School to do an audit of the work their administration is actually doing. I bet there are many six figure salaries that could be cut and nobody would know the difference.
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Post by longsuffering on Oct 12, 2022 15:53:10 GMT -5
PETA has reached agreement with the PGA to rename all golf course dog leg holes.
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Post by Sons of Vaval on Oct 12, 2022 17:01:17 GMT -5
From today's Worcester Telegram... (Dean Wormer.. delete if you you think this is too controversial.....) www.telegram.com/story/news/2022/10/11/umass-chan-medical-school-calls-renaming-plantation-street/8237634001/Believe both Dr. Michael Collins and Che Anderson are both HC graduates.... UMass Chan Medical School calls for renaming of Plantation Street, citing connotation of slavery Marco Cartolano Telegram & Gazette WORCESTER — Citing connotations of "oppression in our country," UMass Chan Medical School is petitioning the City Council to change the name of Plantation Street, Plantation Parkway and Plantation Terrace. The history of Plantation Street is detailed in the 1948 book "Your Worcester Streets," by Ivan Sandroff. He wrote that the trail that would become Plantation Street was initially known as Love Lane. The road was the first laid out in Quinsigamond Plantation, the name of the original settlement of Worcester. The road was built out of a need of a thoroughfare from the north end of the plantation to connect with the Nipmuc Trail. ... Or is it the p-word itself that is offensive to some? Which is why it needs to be deleted from the English language. I see no other way around this.
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Post by Tom on Oct 12, 2022 18:11:25 GMT -5
Unsubstantiated rumor: The impetus for this is from some big dollar donor to UMass
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Post by Tom on Oct 12, 2022 18:13:20 GMT -5
Click on the link above the copied article and scroll down to the end and click on the "comments" section... I no longer subscribe to the Telegram and can't open the link. Can you copy and paste?
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Post by gks on Oct 12, 2022 18:17:43 GMT -5
This is coming from an employee at the medical school. I believe this person has tried this before. According to this link the origin of Plantation Street is the Quinsigamond Plantation. Name given to the Native American settlement in the city. mywpl.org/sites/default/files/pdf/Your-worcester-street.pdf
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Oct 12, 2022 18:43:11 GMT -5
Great to hear that Worcester has solved all other problems and can now address such vexing issues as this one
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Post by longsuffering on Oct 12, 2022 20:10:19 GMT -5
Great to hear that Worcester has solved all other problems and can now address such vexing issues as this one Yes, Kelley Square collisions are down to single digits per day.
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Post by timholycross on Oct 13, 2022 7:36:05 GMT -5
What about the name "Chan"? Doesn't that bring back references to Charley Chan, which, I'm sure, fails the racist litmus test these days.
Has to go.
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Post by newfieguy74 on Oct 13, 2022 7:59:30 GMT -5
What about the name "Chan"? Doesn't that bring back references to Charley Chan, which, I'm sure, fails the racist litmus test these days. Has to go. The name refers to the family of Gerald Chan, who made an $175 million gift to the school. Maybe you're trying to be funny, but your post is in very bad taste.
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Post by Tom on Oct 13, 2022 8:06:13 GMT -5
The City Council tabled discussion on the topic last night. At least for now, the petition is going nowhere
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Post by sader1970 on Oct 13, 2022 8:10:03 GMT -5
Forget about the history or non-history of “Plantation.” Streets are renamed frequently. Is there a Cousy Street in Worcester yet?
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Post by HCFC45 on Oct 13, 2022 8:13:39 GMT -5
Plantation Street will remain; Worcester council ends UMass Chan bid for name change
Cyrus Moulton
Telegram & Gazette
WORCESTER - The City Council effectively killed a petition by UMass Chan Medical School to rename Plantation Street, but not before plenty of comments about the issue.
“In my 11 years on council, I never had an item I called inconsiderate - except this,” District 3 Councilor George Russell said at Wednesday's council meeting.
He said that a name change would require the roughly 6,700 residents and 100 businesses on Plantation Street, Plantation Parkway and Plantation Terrace to change legal and identification documents, change official addresses and go through all sorts of other hassles at considerable expense.
More:UMass Chan Medical School calls for renaming of Plantation Street, citing connotation of slavery
Russell made a motion that the petition be filed - meaning that it could not appear again before the council for 90 days, and then only if it was resubmitted.
“It just isn’t fair,’ Russell continued. “It could have been a moment for this community to come together - and hope it is in the future - but all this petition does is inconvenience people on Plantation Street and mobilize people into their respective political corners.”
District 2 Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson concurred, emphasizing that UMass Chan gave no heads up to councilors about the request.
“I have never ever, ever, in my years represented this district, UMass has never behaved in this way,” Mero-Carlson said. “They could have reached out…but they made a decision to take on a whole neighborhood…not to talk to people, and to say ‘we don’t care what it costs you.’”
UMass Chan and Chancellor Michael F. Collins this week petitioned the council to change the names of Plantation Street, Plantation Parkway and Plantation Terrace.
“The word ‘plantation’ connotes oppression in our country and serves as a reminder of the painful history of slavery in America,” the petition reads. “We would hope to participate in a larger community conversation regarding the appropriate course of action to find a more appropriate name.”
Worcester history
Several members of the public spoke against the petition Wednesday, saying the word plantation in this context referred not to plantations dependent on slave labor in the antebellum South, but to the original farms that preceded the founding of the City of Worcester.
In addition, members of the public criticized the medical school for not reaching out to the community, and some wondered if the renaming of Plantation Street would lead to the renaming of other streets or places in the city that offended people.
“Having a positive idea does not give you the right to get something done,” resident and former School Committee member Dianna Biancheria said. “What you need to do is back it up. What you need to do is get the community involved.”
Ché Anderson, assistant vice chancellor for city and community relations at UMass Chan, told councilors that we could not erase history and its sometimes negative connotations.
Former Plimoth Plantation
“I appreciate all the lessons on history today…I firmly understand a lot of the concerns brought up,” Anderson said, referring to the public commenters. “But it’s important to us to understand that the connotation of the name can be harmful to people.”
Anderson noted that Rhode Island had removed the word “plantation” from its official name, as had the historical site formerly known as Plimoth Plantation.
More:Plimoth Plantation to change its name
“That word means something to people,” Anderson continued. “We’re asking that the council looks at that, and has a conversation (about) that.”
It certainly led to conversation.
But some councilors were not convinced that changing street names would lead to meaningful change.
District 4 Councilor Sarai Rivera noted her own ancestors included a slave on a plantation and Native peoples killed in a genocide, and that the term ‘plantation’ brings with it a “history of trauma.”
“With that being said, I can’t help but think that this petition for a name change is a performative action to make people feel good,” Rivera said.
She noted that a debate over removing the Christopher Columbus statue in the city never made it to the council floor, nor had the city dealt with the South High mascot of a Southern Colonel brandishing pistols.
“If we want to have this conversation and vote on this today, we should really start with other racist relics in this city rather than try to associate the language of a street sign with something it has no relation to,” Rivera said.
UMass Chan and Worcester
Meanwhile, at-Large Councilor Moe Bergman emphasized that UMass Chan was an asset to the community for the excellent medical care it provided.
“However, that having been said, this is not about medicine, this is entering the feel-good virtue signaling, let’s say something that sounds good that doesn’t really mean anything,” Bergman said. “There is nothing here but a feel-good measure.”
And at-Large Councilor Kate Toomey said that UMass Chan could make a better contribution to improving equity by improving equity through health, while Mayor Joseph M. Petty endorsed a full review of all the city's assets as to whether they might be renamed.
But other councilors wanted the conversation to continue by moving the petition forward to subcommittee.
“I agree with my colleagues that there’s a lot of systemic things that we could be looking at in terms of righting the wrongs of the past,” at-Large Councilor Khrystian King said, noting that the council had not yet discussed the recent racial equity audit. “I also hear tonight that folks want to have a dialogue…I support continued dialogue.”
He expressed concern that not having continued dialogue sent a message that the council could not represent a diverse city.
“As elected officials, with the level of diversity we have here…if we can’t have these conversations, we should really look in the mirror and ask how we can represent the people in totality,” King continued.
Thu Nguyen in support
Meanwhile, At-Large Councilor Thu Nguyen also sought further dialogue and supported UMass Chan’s efforts.
“I think names and words matter, and the weight they carry,” Nguyen said. “Pushing change in society to reconcile the past is rarely convenient, and I hope we don’t go with just the convenient thing and we do what’s right.”
At the end of the discussion, the council voted 6-4 to file the motion, effectively killing the measure.
Nguyen, King, Rivera and District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj voted against filing. District 1 Councilor Sean Rose was absent.
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Post by mm67 on Oct 13, 2022 8:16:46 GMT -5
Quite honestly, I do not understand why anyone would oppose a street name change. Why would anyone outside city government care? Obviously, the word plantation does have a negative connotation even as it relates to indigenous people. Is opposition to changing the name a surrogate for other deeper issues - the idea of change, modernity, etc.? The city will make its decision. Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn.
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Post by alum on Oct 13, 2022 8:19:23 GMT -5
Worcester City Council rejected it pretty much out of hand www.telegram.com/story/news/2022/10/13/plantation-street-umass-chan-medical-school-worcester-remain/10478481002/It looks to me like the name comes from Quinsigamond Plantation which was the name that the settlers used when they came to the area of what is now Worcester and helped themselves to land of a Native American tribe. I get that we commonly associate "plantation" with large Southern farms where enslaved people labored against their will and I would certainly think that we ought to avoid using that term going forward given that association but the reliance issues and the lack of any link to slavery in this particular instance suggests that the council made the right call.
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Oct 13, 2022 8:32:18 GMT -5
The original settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony were known as "planters'. The first arrivals were known as the Old Planters, and subsequent settlers were known as the New Planters. See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Planters_(Massachusetts)#:~:text=The%20Old%20Planters%20of%20Massachusetts,expanded%20significantly%20starting%20in%201630). In several instances, the large tracts of land that the planters received were known as plantations, e.g., Plimouth Plantation. The term was apparently used south of Boston, but not, for example, in Essex County. For a brief history of Quinsigamond Plantation, see: www.worcesteraud.com/news/this-old-neighborhood-quinsigamond-plantationThe link has an old late 18th Century map of Worcester, showing the old Post Road as the main road. The map also shows College hill, before Fr. Fitton arrived several decades later. Plantation St. in Worcester has nothing to do with slavery, or the plantations of the old South. Much more accurate to say that Plantation St. represents the ripping off of the indigenous Indians of their land by the Puritan settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. This culminated in King Philip's War of 1675-76, which remains the bloodiest war, on a per capita basis, in American history. As for the Puritans, they were religious bigots of the first order, despising both the Catholics and Anglican Church of England. And for all their claims of settling in Massachusetts to pursue religious freedom. the only religion that might be freely practiced was their religion, as defined by them. Dissenters were quickly banished. Their bigotry persisted until the end of the Revolutionary War. The first Catholic mass in Massachusetts was said in Boston on November 2, 1788, by a French priest, Claude Florent Bouchard de la Poterie. Abbe Bouchard has an indirect association with the college on College Hill. Abbe Bouchard established the first Catholic church in Massachusetts, which he named the Church of the Holy Cross, and which became the namesake of the College, thanks to Fenwick. That Abbe Bouchard despised the Jesuits as much as the Puritans despised the Church of Rome, if not more so, is another story. Plantation St. in Worcester reflects and commemorates an era when religious bigots (the Puritan land owners of Quinsigamond Plantation) unjustly deprived Native Americans of their land.
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Post by hcpride on Oct 13, 2022 8:45:38 GMT -5
The original settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony were known as "planters'. The first arrivals were known as the Old Planters, and subsequent settlers were known as the New Planters. See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Planters_(Massachusetts)#:~:text=The%20Old%20Planters%20of%20Massachusetts,expanded%20significantly%20starting%20in%201630). In several instances, the large tracts of land that the planters received were known as plantations, e.g., Plimouth Plantation. The term was apparently used south of Boston, but not, for example, in Essex County. For a brief history of Quinsigamond Plantation, see: www.worcesteraud.com/news/this-old-neighborhood-quinsigamond-plantationThe link has an old late 18th Century map of Worcester, showing the old Post Road as the main road. The map also shows College hill, before Fr. Fitton arrived several decades later. Plantation St. in Worcester has nothing to do with slavery, or the plantations of the old South. Much more accurate to say that Plantation St. represents the ripping off of the indigenous Indians of their land by the Puritan settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. This culminated in King Philip's War of 1675-76, which remains the bloodiest war, on a per capita basis, in American history. As for the Puritans, they were religious bigots of the first order, despising both the Catholics and Anglican Church of England. And for all their claims of settling in Massachusetts to pursue religious freedom. the only religion that might be freely practiced was their religion, as defined by them. Dissenters were quickly banished. Their bigotry persisted until the end of the Revolutionary War. The first Catholic mass in Massachusetts was said in Boston on November 2, 1788, by a French priest, Claude Florent Bouchard de la Poterie. Abbe Bouchard has an indirect association with the college on College Hill. Abbe Bouchard established the first Catholic church in Massachusetts, which he named the Church of the Holy Cross, and which became the namesake of the College, thanks to Fenwick. That Abbe Bouchard despised the Jesuits as much as the Puritans despised the Church of Rome, if not more so, is another story. Plantation St. in Worcester reflects and commemorates an era when religious bigots (the Puritan land owners of Quinsigamond Plantation) unjustly deprived Native Americans of their land. Perhaps returning ‘P’ Street (and Worcester itself) to the descendants of the original inhabitants is the only equitable and virtuous way forward at this point.
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