St. Paul neighborhood begins process to rename César Chavez Street
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After a New York Times investigation published in March alleged that César Chavez, an icon of the Latino civil rights movement, had sexually assaulted young girls, Latino communities across the country began to contend with his legacy.
That includes St. Paul’s West Side, a vibrant Mexican American neighborhood where César Chavez Street is a main thoroughfare. West Side leaders will host a community listening session Thursday night and two others later this month to discuss renaming the street in the aftermath of the Times story.
“It's a form of collective self-determination,” Monica Bravo, executive director of the West Side Community Organization, told MPR News. “I think it's really important to have this voice loud and clear, especially after what we've been through in the last recent months with [Operation] Metro Surge.”
The neighborhood district council has convened a steering a committee to lead the renaming process. It’s already decided the new name will not be a namesake.
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“There is a myth of individualism,” Bravo told Minnesota Now host Nina Moini. “It takes an entire group of people to actually bring about change, and so we want to move forward with that collective mindset.”
After Thursday night’s listening session, there will be two more, on July 25 and 28. After gathering community input, residents and business owners in the 55107 zip code will be eligible to vote in August.
Bravo hopes that the new name will be revealed on Sept. 16, Mexican Independence Day.
The West Side Community Organization is working with the city of St. Paul, which will help fund street sign changes. The city is also covering formal changes of address and identification for residents and business owners.
Bravo hopes all those changes will be done before the new year.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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