Why some Londoners want city hall to reverse course and rename Plantation Road

Members of London's Black community have started an online petition that's gained hundreds of signatures, urging city politicians to reverse their decision to not rename Plantation Road.

Council voted 9 to 6 against renaming the street, located in a subdivision in the Oakridge neighbourhood, to Larch Road at its May 13 meeting. However for petition signatories, the decision undermines a painful history and runs contrary to the city's anti-Black racism plan.

"It's not simply about a name, the term plantation itself evokes a painful legacy of enslavement, colonialism and anti-Black violence," said Neisa Long, a Master's student in Public History at Western University, who launched the petition earlier this week.

"London has a powerful legacy and history as a place of refuge for Black freedom seekers, so to keep a name like Plantation Road in our city that once represented a space of hope, liberation and freedom for so many Black individuals, really becomes a contradiction."

Larch Road was on the city's list of pre-approved names for streets which has been reviewed by the Ontario Human Rights Commission and includes input from the city's anti-racism division.

A push to rename the street has been debated at city hall for several years now and goes back to a petition started in 2020 by then 10-year-old Lyla Wheeler, due to its relation to the transatlantic slave trade. It was defeated at that time due to an estimated $10,000 cost, and rules that required majority of homeowners to agree on the change.

Last week, the area's Coun. Steve Lehman explained that the road which was built in 1959, was named after a tree plantation in the area. He said he consulted with 23 homeowners on the street and of that, 18 were against the name change due to the financial and legal implications.

"It's no small thing to change your address. We see it when we buy a new house, and the legal fees we have to incur and other things when we do make that change," said Lehman, giving examples of changing information on bills, insurance documents and others.

"The street you live on is more than just a name on a sign post, it is part of your identity and your shared memories among your friends, family and neighbours."

Coun. Paul Van Meerbergen however, referred to the issue as a "manufactured controversy" adding that "the city has far more serious issues in the city than the name of Plantation Road."

That explanation doesn't cut it for Long, who told CBC's Afternoon Drive that community members are disappointed and feel unheard because many wrote to council, detailing the generational hurt the word entails for them.

"The continued presence of the word within our streets opens these wounds and signals that Black history and dignity is something that's negotiable within civic decision making," said Long.

"It reduces it to a dictionary definition that erases the lived realities of people who carry the generational and emotional trauma of enslavement."

Some city politicians agreed and tried to seek public consultation to discuss the matter further with Londoners, but that was dismissed by the rest of council.

Coun. Elizabeth Peloza argued a name change would have been an opportunity for the city to take meaningful action in showing Black Londoners their voices and experiences matter.

"This is not about feelings, this is about belonging, history and respect. The power of language is instrumental in shaping society of values and movements," said Peloza.

"Just because something has existed a certain way for a long time, and just because a limited number of people have spoken up in the past, does not mean it should remain unchanged. We evolve, we learn, we grow and we strive to do better."

Long said the petition has garnered 337 signatures so far and she hopes it will motivate the city to rethink it's stance on the matter and make systemic change for future generations.