To the City of Brownsville,
As you may know, there has been a recent surge of citizen involvement, attempting to educate the public on the possibly unintended racist legacy left behind by former Brownsville leaders and encourage the current administration to take action so that our city can move past the negativity.
At the head of this movement is Antonio Castillo, who, as of now, has started an online petition to remove or relocate the Jefferson Davis Memorial from Washington Park, organized a Martin Luther King Jr. event in response to the Brownsville Historical Association's support of celebrating Confederate "Heroes" Day, and a Juneteenth celebration, all while spreading the message by contacting city and county officials, local news outlets such as The Brownsville Herald, Valley Morning Star, KRGV (Channel 4), KGBT (Channel 5), KVEO (Channel 6), KTLM (Channel 40), KNVO (Channel 48), and local blogs like El Runn Runn, The Brownsville Observer, and Brownsville Bright.
In response to the Juneteenth event, which took place on Saturday, May 18th, Javier R. Garcia, the blogger behind the nostalgia-driven Brownsville Station/Bronsbil Estacion, started his own event, "Mock the Rock in the Park," shown in the picture attached, a humorous attempt to mock those who have expressed their concerns that the monument to the racist Confederate president is offensive and has no place in a city park 151 years after the southern rebellion lost the Civil War.
Link to Garcia's event:
https://www.facebook.com/
https://www.facebook.com/
As a citizen who has been closely involved with this movement toward education and awareness, I must accept that, in whatever sarcastic manner he is acting, Garcia is correct in noting that George Washington, the President for whom the park is named, in fact, owned slaves. (See the event location.) For this reason, I propose that the city of Brownsville rename the park.
Aside from being the first President of the United States, Washington hardly has relevance to our border city and the culture that resides here. The park should be named, not for an individual, but for an ideal which not only captures the American spirit, but also one which acknowledges the end result of the Latinx community's strong-willed and hardworking nature.
I propose "Parque LIBERTAD" as the new name for Washington Park. Let me know your thoughts.
Thank you,
- Juan Fidencio Treviño II
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