From Dewey to Douglass: Should NYS Thruway Be Renamed?
A western New York NYS Senator has offered up a bill which would change the name of the New York State Thruway to go from honoring former New York Governor Thomas E. Dewy to honoring famed abolitionist and activist Frederick Douglass. The Thruway has been named for Gov. Dewey for over a half century.
Frederick Douglass lived for over a quarter of a century in the city of Rochester and is buried there. The bill says that "Douglass was an eminent human rights leader of the 19th century, with his speeches and writings putting him at the forefront of the U.S. abolition movement." The Thruway passes the southern edge of that city.
The bill is being sponsored by Senator Tim Kennedy (D-Buffalo) who is the chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee.
Do you approve or disapprove of the changing of the name of the New York State Thruway from Dewey to Douglass?