SF Examiner: ‘Phelan Avenue poised to lose name over racist legacy’

Phelan Avenue is home to several Sunnyside and Westwood Park houses, as well as SF City College.

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Phelan Avenue viewed from Flood Ave in Sunnyside. Photo: Sunnyside Neighborhood Association

Source for article below: SF Examiner http://www.sfexaminer.com/phelan-avenue-poised-lose-name-racist-legacy/  Related article on SFWeekly: http://www.sfweekly.com/news/racist-legacy-revisited-frida-kahlo-could-oust-phelan-way/

Phelan Avenue poised to lose name over racist legacy

By Laura Waxmann on February 25, 2018 1:00 am

The name of former San Francisco Mayor James Duval Phelan could soon be erased from street signs near City College of San Francisco as part of a movement to remove monuments to historic figures now considered racist.

Over the next two weeks, community members and stakeholders including City College will get a chance to vote on potential new names for Phelan Avenue as part of an effort spearheaded by Supervisor Norman Yee.

Yee said that he learned about the Phelan family legacy a few years ago, including the “anti-immigrant policies” of the younger Phelan. A patron of the arts and music and a former U.S. Senator, Phelan is also remembered for opposing Asian immigration and for using the slogan “Keep California White” during his senatorial re-election campaign.    Continue reading “SF Examiner: ‘Phelan Avenue poised to lose name over racist legacy’”