Sarah Vowell had an excellent op-ed piece in the New York Times over the weekend about how my state will hold a referendum in 2010 to drop the word "plantations" from our official name (The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations).
Vowell's take on the topic is a more eloquently expressed version of mine, which has always been: "Historically, we were called Rhode Island and Providence Plantations because that's what the state was, geographically: Rhode Island (now Aquidneck Island) and Providence and the surrounding farmland (the plantations). It's about history, not racism."
Every once in a while I realize that this puts me in the uncomfortable position of making the same argument Southerners make for flying the confederate flag over their statehouses. "It's our history, not a statement of our racism." Of course, Rhode Island never fought a war for the right to keep slaves on Providence Plantations.
Anyway, read the article. It explains my position in better context than I have.
Monday, July 6, 2009
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