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Already 2,574 people are supporting an effort to change the name of a Fort Worth park named after Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

Their virtual signatures, from Fort Worth and beyond, make up just more than half of the goal of a Change.org petition created yesterday by local resident Emily Farris, who hopes to present the 5,000 signatures to Mayor Betsy Price ultimately.

The 6.5-acre park was purchased in 1923, Farris writes, “at the height of the Ku Klux Klan revival in Fort Worth. The park, and many other memorials and monuments across the country, were part of a revisionary myth of the Lost Cause of the Confederacy and an effort to preserve white supremacy.”

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Farris goes on to say that considering Fort Worth’s overall cultural diversity, and especially the diversity of the surrounding neighborhood, the park should be given “a more appropriate name,” arrived at with community input.

“In light of the horrific events in Charlottesville, VA,” Farris writes, “now is the time.”

Some signatories have explained their reasons in the comments petition’s section.

Fort Worth’s Celeste Hopkins writes, “All symbols of intimidation, racism, and terror must be removed.”

Red Oak’s Mayra Guardiola says, “No more hate in my state!”

And Houston’s Delilah Rodriguez adds “Our country shouldn’t praise the actions of people who have supported white supremacy.”

 

4 COMMENTS

  1. It’s a great neighborhood park, I spent many hours playing there while I was a kid. It didn’t even occur to me that Jeff Davis Park was named after Jefferson Davis, makes sense though there are streets around there are named Stanley, Livingston, Mason and Dixon, hmm. I don’t think the kids care what it’s called.

    Jefferson Davis was the US Secretary of Defense before he was president of the confederacy. Jeff Davis County, Fort Davis and the Davis Mountains are named after him as well. I wonder what the people who live there think about it?

  2. As a Texan, Ms. Farris’ surname offends me. A short two-minute internet search of Confederate army soldiers named “Farris” reveals a couple of men from Texas, James Morgan Farris and G.W. (thought to be “George Washington”) Farris. Using Ms. Farris’ convoluted and arbitary reasoning, it is obvious to me that the name of “Farris” is racist and is an obvious effort to preserve white supremacy! Therefore, I demand that the name “Farris”, either as a surname or as any other means of identification, be stricken from the Texas lexicon. I have conveened a committee of learned Texans (me) and the unanimous decision has been made that the name of “Farris” is hereby to be referred to officially as “Snowflake.” BTW, this committee isn’t too keen on the name “Emily” either, so watch out how you throw that name around too!

  3. Tom Doniphon you Sr. are awesome. where can we star to change the park name to honor The BRAVE AMERICANS and not the stupid snow flakes…. we need to demand she change her name and maybe to get her out of our city…. this snowflake is not even a resident of our city.fort worth that is.

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