U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach, has joined the throng of Democrats opposing the renaming of Palm Beach International Airport in honor of President Donald Trump.
They argue that Trump, found guilty on 34 felony counts of fraud and listed thousands of times in the investigative files of the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, is not worthy of such an honor. And they say renaming major infrastructure in honor of a public servant should wait until that person’s time of service is complete.
But Frankel and other Democrats did not make that second argument 11 years ago, when the city of Riviera Beach renamed a portion of Old Dixie Highway in honor of then-President Barack Obama.
“There is a big difference between the naming of a major international airport and a local city street,” the congresswoman said.
For many Black Americans, the term “Dixie” harkens back to a time of slavery, racial violence and white supremacy. Having to drive along a road of that name is a grating reminder of that time — and of the casual indifference of the white Americans today who don’t have a problem with the term.
Those who do have a problem with the term said renaming a portion of Old Dixie in honor of the country’s first Black president was a small bit of justice.
Palm Beach County stretch of Old Dixie Hwy renamed after Obama
Riviera Beach’s mayor at the time, Thomas Masters, proposed renaming a portion of Old Dixie in January of 2015 and urged the City Council to vote in favor of the change.
“Old Dixie means cross-burning,” Masters said. “Old Dixie means slavery. Old Dixie means the KKK. Aren’t we better than that? Let’s take that sign down. Get rid of it, and let’s unify our city.”
The City Council did as Masters bid, voting 4-1 in favor of the name change. Dawn Pardo, the only white member of the City Council and the only person to vote against renaming Old Dixie, said she opposed the renaming because the stretch of Old Dixie that was to be renamed was blighted and not a fitting tribute to Obama.
Today, the section of Old Dixie in Riviera Beach that intersects Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard between West Seventh and West Ninth Streets east of Avenue G is now President Barack Obama Highway.
Wayne Washington is a journalist covering education and Riviera Beach development for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at wwashington@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dems didn’t oppose renaming parts of Old Dixie for President Obama
Reporting by Wayne Washington, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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