Negro Creek History Endures Despite FAILED Rename Effort

Credit where it's due . . . The newspaper notes an old school parable that doesn't have much documentation but still offers a valuable historical reference.

Here's the big picture about different perceptions of the name . . .

The debate over the name marked a generational divide, committee members said, among older Black community leaders who wanted to keep the name as a harsh reminder of the past and younger Black activists who argued the name is too offensive to stay. Adding to that, old maps and documents often referred to the creek by a racial slur.

But as state lawmakers and school boards across the country debate whether to limit curriculum on America’s history of slavery and racism, Jay Holbert, president of the Johnson County chapter of the NAACP, said it is crucial to educate the public on Johnson County’s true, albeit gut-wrenching history, rather than whitewash it.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Johnson County's Negro Creek to keep controversial name, commemorating its grisly past

Despite calls to rename Johnson County's Negro Creek, a committee has decided to keep the controversial name, worried that removing it would erase a painful piece of history. Many Johnson County residents spent years unaware of the small, unmarked creek that flows through a golf course in Leawood and in southern Overland Park, in one of the most affluent areas of Kansas' wealthiest county.