AnonymousBy Rachel Aarons and Miguel Rodriguez for the Dolores Huerta Street Renaming Project
Neal Graffy is a well-known historian in the Santa Barbara community who is deserving of respect for his knowledge and love of history. The Dolores Huerta Street Renaming Project cited material from his book on Street Names in Santa Barbara in its brief submitted to the Mayor and Council on May 5th, 2020. In the Research section of that brief, there is detailed information about Andrés Pico, the person that San Andres Street is named after. Of course, this extensive information could not be included in a public flyer which is the sole basis of Mr. Graffy’s recent opinion piece in Edhat. In this piece, he adds some fascinating background about the military exploits of Andrés Pico during the Mexican American War.
What is not included in his article is the fact that, after the war, Andrés Pico became a United States citizen and made a fortune on the 60,000 acres of land allotted to him by his brother, Pio Pico. This was land annexed from Mexican owners as spoils of war which were taken over and became part of California. We have to ask: how would people of Mexican heritage feel about honoring a man who became fabulously wealthy from receipt of lands belonging to their ancestors?
Currently, there is a wave of protest across this entire country directed at figures in history who represent painful reminders to black people of their enslavement, disenfranchisement and violence. Statues, flags, memorial plaques and street names of Confederate leaders are being removed in many locations across the United States. This is part of a long overdue social justice movement to end the celebration of shameful periods of our history that do not deserve to be commemorated. It is not that the history is false; it is just that it is no longer considered worthy of honor. In fact, on the contrary, it is symbolic of white supremacy which deeply undermines the rights and inherent value of marginalized peoples, whether they be Black, Latinx, Native American, or other Americans of color.
As an example, it is a matter of history that there was a dead Indian found in the location of Indio Muerto Street. But this is no reason to retain this offensive street name. In fact, the Indio Muerto Street Renaming Project makes the point that: “Because racism still exists in Santa Barbara, California, and in the USA, we need to stand up to ensure that Black Lives do matter, that Indigenous self-determination is honored, and that all manifestations of institutionalized racism are challenged and eliminated no matter what form it takes nor what people and groups support racism.” [Marcus Lopez, Letter to Mayor, June 15, 2020.]
“Calle Dolores Huerta” would give public recognition to a Latina hero who has devoted her life to promoting the rights of the poor and demanding their access to decent living and working conditions. For this reason, she is one of five distinguished honorees as 2020 RFK Ripple of Hope Laureates including Dr. Anthony Fauci.
As for the designation “Saint Andrew” given to Andrés Pico, is it acceptable to pay homage to a military leader by conferring sainthood on him? Is this to be passed off as “humorous”? If one wants to convey distinction to a military leader, one raises his rank. One does not dub him a saint. Can you imagine saying “Saint Robert E. Lee” or “Saint Ulysses S. Grant”? Sainthood is a religious honor to be taken seriously. The process of canonization is rigorous and demanding, sometimes taking hundreds of years to complete. It is at best irreverent and at worst offensive to the Catholic faith to apply this designation so inappropriately.
Frequently, people mispronounce the name San Andrés as San Andreas, raising unpleasant reminders of the San Andreas fault and the frightening prospect of lost lives. It might be better to be reminded of gardens with, as Mr. Graffy says, “a slight play“ on Dolores Huerta’s last name.
His suggestion that we name a garden after Dolores Huerta might not have been intended to be demeaning to this iconic figure in history. However, considering the way that women have been erased from history for centuries, often deliberately, this implication must be addressed. Male figures dominate the cultural landscape so completely that they overshadow, even obliterate, the accomplishments of women. In the specific case of the City of Santa Barbara, are there any streets named after important women in history? Dolores herself raised this question in her interview on KEYT news [July 15/20]. We are hard put to provide an answer. The naming of a street after Dolores Huerta would be a critical step in the direction of gaining gender equity. To be able to correct an unfortunate gender bias in this city that gives recognition to César Chávez and none to the co-partner who worked alongside him was a major incentive for this project. We have an opportunity to make a public statement of the equal importance of women’s work with that of men’s. Let us choose to honor a woman who fought for social justice her whole life rather than a man who fought in a 10 to 15 minute battle [Graffy, Edhat, August 8, 2020].
The treaty that Andrés Pico negotiated benefited the landed elite – those with property and wealth – and he became one of them. Dolores, on the other hand, worked for the poor and dispossessed – those who had no land and no wealth. This is a significant difference in legacy that is not primarily about race but about class. Do we give precedence to the elite propertied class or to the poor disadvantaged workers? It is the legacy of Dolores Huerta that is more closely aligned with the current Black Lives Matter movement in this country than the ethnic make-up of Andrés Pico. Are we speaking for the rich or for the poor? Which legacy do we want to honor?
We cannot eradicate history but we can choose not to celebrate it. We can move forward with the values we are advocating today in the direction of inclusion and promotion of diversity. We agree with Mr. Graffy that we should create something for future generations to embrace as part of our community’s legacy. Dolores Huerta represents the inherent value of women’s work and the significance of social justice over military exploits. She spent years helping the laboring poor and training leaders to fight for equity and human rights in Santa Barbara and throughout California. Calle Dolores Huerta is the perfect symbol for future generations to be proud of.
Do you have an opinion on something local? Share it with us at ed@edhat.com. The views and opinions expressed in Op-Ed articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of edhat.
I don’t think anyone was proclaiming him a saint. He was a person of note in California history, whether you like the role he played or not. I think the biggest problem your committee had is you picked the WRONG street to try your name change on. You did not take into account the inconvenience and cost to residents and businesses this name change would cause. Also you want to change the “main drag” of the Westside and therefore part of the identity of the neighborhood. You should have done a COMPREHENSIVE survey of the residents/businesses who actually live/work on San Andres to find out how they felt. I think it is apparent that Westsiders stick together.
I stopped reading when I got to: “For this reason, she is one of five distinguished honorees as 2020 RFK Ripple of Hope Laureates including Dr. Anthony Fauci.”
Why not just name a park after the woman instead of messing with our street names?
Interesting they withdrew their application. Goes to show strength in #s. Good job supporters in opposition to this attempt. We can’t change history it is what it is! Too much good energy being wasted people wanting to ( what I consider ) change the past, if you don’t like it don’t follow it.
If you don’t like the street names of a city the don’t live there. You are going to find a multitude of catholic oriented names all over California bc of the history right or wrong it is what it is.
Great News!
Interesting they withdrew their application. Goes to show strength in #s. Good job supporters in opposition to this attempt. We can’t change history it is what it is! Too much good energy being wasted people wanting to ( what I consider ) change the past, if you don’t like it don’t follow it.
If you don’t like the street names of a city the don’t live there. You are going to find a multitude of catholic oriented names all over California bc of the history right or wrong it is what it is.
Great News!
I love when the locals push back and say no when the newbies come in trying to change everything. No thanks.
X1000
The committee has been working with the City for months, gathering documents, petitions, etc., etc. They are presenting their case August 24 at a NAC meeting like the one on August 10 on the Indio Muerto St.
Zero ties, like “San” Andres.
I’ll bet if you did a local consensus of who should have things named after them, Huerta wouldn’t even be in the Top Ten. The entire Huerta agenda seems to be pushed by only two men. I question whether they are “the voice of the community.”
10:16, if it was only two people, they did an amazing job of raising the issue. Imagine what they could do with more! And I am willing to be one of them.