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Name change proposal for Lake Audubon floated to community (Audubon allegedly owned slaves)
FFXNow ^ | December 27, 2022 | Fatimah Waseem

Posted on 03/14/2023 8:10:12 AM PDT by BurgessKoch

Lake Audubon a man-made lake in Reston may soon chart new waters with a new name.

Reston Association’s Board of Directors has begun preliminary conversations to consider launching a community dialogue on potentially renaming the lake, which is named after 19th century artist and known enslaver John James Audubon.

The move, pitched by director John Farrell, would kickstart a community dialogue on the possibility of a name change. Early next year, Farrell will host an exploratory meeting with area stakeholders to discuss whether or not there is interest in changing the name of the lake.

“It seems to me that there needs to be a reconciliation of our fundamental founding principles of inclusion with this guy’s history,” Farrell said at a Dec. 15 board meeting.

Audubon enslaved at least nine people and was publicly dismissive of the abolitionist movement.

Farrell pointed to two articles from Audubon Magazine that highlight Audubon’s history, which state that he enslaved several people and didn’t recognize black and indigenous people as equals. They also highlight a story in which Audubon returned a family of escaped slaves to their enslavers and say the ornithologist was “prone to exaggeration,” writing about discovered birds that did not exist.

In October 2021, the Audubon Naturalist Society — a major US conservation group — said it will change its name due to the “pain” caused by Audubon.

“The deliberate and thoughtful decision to change our name is part of our ongoing commitment to creating a larger and more diverse community of people who treasure the natural world and work to preserve it. It has become clear that this will never be fully possible with the current name,” ANS Executive Director Lisa Alexander said in a news report on the issue.

Audobon is famed for his studies of American birds.

(Excerpt) Read more at ffxnow.com ...


TOPICS: Outdoors; Travel
KEYWORDS: audubon; slavery; woke
My wife and I live on Lake Audobon in Reston, Virginia. There is a move afoot to change the name. The article gives the essence of the local agitation for the change. There is an open town forum this week on this topic and we plan to attend. This meeting will doubtless be populated by a large number of leftists in the area and town. We would really appreciate FR'er thoughts, comments and suggested talking points.
1 posted on 03/14/2023 8:10:12 AM PDT by BurgessKoch
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To: BurgessKoch
Mohamed owned slaves, and it is documented in the Koran. Let's go with canceling that!
2 posted on 03/14/2023 8:17:25 AM PDT by Worldtraveler once upon a time (Degrow government)
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To: BurgessKoch
Tell them to name it Lake Christ since the Christians were the primary force in the abolitionist movement.

Tell them Christ is the only One who did no wrong, so He's the only One who can't be cancel cultured. Therefore, the end result of their cancel culture mentality is to lead people to Christ.

3 posted on 03/14/2023 8:18:49 AM PDT by Tell It Right (1st Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
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To: BurgessKoch

In time they will see that abortion is willful murder. The takedown of role models will be massive.


4 posted on 03/14/2023 8:19:26 AM PDT by stanne
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To: BurgessKoch

Farrell pointed to two articles from Audubon Magazine that highlight Audubon’s history, which state that he enslaved several people and didn’t recognize black and indigenous people as equals. _____________________________________________________________
What a jackass. No white person in America in the 1800s “recognized black and indigenous people as equals.” Not even the Abolitionists took this view—they formed socieities to raise money to ship blacks back to Africa.


5 posted on 03/14/2023 8:19:36 AM PDT by bort
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To: BurgessKoch

I would point out that you live in Fairfax County. Lord Fairfax owned hundreds of slaves. Why no push to change the name of the county? Why are the anti-racists only going halfway in their efforts?


6 posted on 03/14/2023 8:20:17 AM PDT by bigdaddy45
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To: BurgessKoch

Not The Audubon Zoo?

Where will all the animals ask for you?


7 posted on 03/14/2023 8:21:31 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: BurgessKoch

There is a small national group trying to remove all white male names off birds, i.e., Cooper’s Hawk. Our local Audobon Society was in total support of this movement releasing a glowing endorsement of it. I find it ironic that now in Portland, OR, Reston, VA, and sure soon to be other places, the left is trying to cancel Mr. Audobon himself. Our side will never learn it’s never enough with these people. You may be the last to get eaten, but they’ll come for you eventually. Then they turn on each other. Ask Mr. Trotsky and Mr. Rohm about that.


8 posted on 03/14/2023 8:24:41 AM PDT by redangus
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To: BurgessKoch

A person must be judged within the context of his times.

Example #1: Isaac Newton is considered to be one of the greatest scientists of all time. Yet Newton knew nothing about atomic energy. Should we then dismiss Newton as a scientist?

Example #2: Martin Luther King is considered to be one of the greatest civil rights leaders of all time. Yet King believed that homosexuality was a mental disorder, and homosexuals needed psychiatric help. Should we then dismiss King as a civil rights leader?

I think these examples are good counter-arguments to today’s cancel culture. But will they make any difference? No. Today’s leftists are soft fascists. They are not interested in any ideas except their own.


9 posted on 03/14/2023 8:26:57 AM PDT by Leaning Right (The steal is real.)
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To: BurgessKoch

How about Lake Angela Davis? Oh. Wait.


10 posted on 03/14/2023 8:34:38 AM PDT by IYAS9YAS (There are two kinds of people: Those who can extrapolate from incomplete data.)
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To: redangus

Our side will never learn it’s never enough with these people.

**************

The Left is relentless in its drive to total control.

Those with the strongest will to win usually do. Just saying.


11 posted on 03/14/2023 8:42:21 AM PDT by Starboard
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To: BurgessKoch

Statues, monuments, street names, and military bases have been fair game for the WOKE wonks.

It’s time to go after lakes.


12 posted on 03/14/2023 8:43:20 AM PDT by BrexitBen
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To: BurgessKoch

Seems George Washington owned slaves. So lets rename the capitol and the state. And do away with Washington’s holiday. And the NFL needs to to scrub the Washington generals name. Newspapers named Washington ?? Lets do this right . Rename everything honoring the slave owner George Washington


13 posted on 03/14/2023 8:57:18 AM PDT by dmet
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To: BurgessKoch

“The article gives the essence of the local agitation for the change.”

***************

If there’s going to be an exploratory meeting with area stakeholders about interest in re-naming the lake, it seems there should be discussion of what image/history the new name should convey.


14 posted on 03/14/2023 9:16:52 AM PDT by Starboard
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To: bigdaddy45

Bwaaahaaahaaa!


15 posted on 03/14/2023 9:17:01 AM PDT by rlmorel ("If you think tough men are dangerous, just wait until you see what weak men are capable of." JBP)
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To: BurgessKoch

So one jerk is agitating for something no one has been concerned with? Lousy little tyrants. Why I will never live in a ‘hood with an HOA.


16 posted on 03/14/2023 9:18:03 AM PDT by Organic Panic (Democrats. Memories as short as Joe Biden's eyes)
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To: redangus

It’s never enough.

That’s why in 2020, with the Endless Riots and COVID hysteria as its backdrop, I say NOT ONE INCH to these bastards.

Unfortunately, they felt their oats and have taken much more than that. The passive libs felt it too and took the reins to change things even civilly before their miscreant brownshirts could do more and make them look even worse. They all figured they could get away with it now.

And they have.


17 posted on 03/14/2023 10:48:17 AM PDT by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue./Federal-run medical care is as good as state-run DMV.)
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