Leave Negro Creek alone
Comments (...)I have been following letters of concerned people not in favor of changing the name of “the creek” that also runs through Cherry.
I grew up in Cherry, played in the creek as a child, but never heard anyone refer to it as the racial slur some are calling it. As an adult, I questioned my mother who also grew up in Cherry, from the first year the town was being settled and at its peak for coal mining.
This was her story of the creek’s name: It was called Nigar Creek because of the rich black coal that came from the mining below.
I commend Mr. Errio of Seatonville for at least trying to find the truth or knowledge of how it was named. I am not in favor of changing the name. It still amazes me how someone can come into our area and want to settle here and make their home, but when something doesn’t please them, as the name of a creek in this case, “Let’s change the name, it’s offensive.”
The time and energy that is being used to rename the creek would be of much better use in cleaning it up of chemical runoff and other pollution.
Mr. Errio, you have my vote to not change the name. All interested people attend the meeting in February. Have your say.
Phyllis Koch
Peru
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The word Negro isn't offensive. It's ignorant jerks that can't distinguish Negro from n****r that make it offensive. I don't think that everyone that supports keeping the creek named Negro Creek is racist but I would put money on it that there are some that want to keep it so they can continue to refer to it as N****r Creek (let's not kid ourselves to believe that people don't). That is where the problem lies. The challenge becomes changing people's way of thinking when it comes to the slang and for that I don't have a solution. Negro = okay (albeit dated). It's a gateway word for sure. |
