Renaming the J.C. Nichols Memorial fountain near the Country Club Plaza and the J.C. Nichols Parkway nearby would be an extraordinarily powerful symbol of inclusion for a city that still struggles with racial division.
The city should move quickly to make these needed changes.
The proposal comes from Christopher Goode, a member of the Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners. In a memo to colleagues, Goode suggests changing the name of the fountain to the Dream Fountain and renaming J.C. Nichols Parkway for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Nichols’ racist approach to development left a scar on this city, and his legacy should not be celebrated. For decades, he used zoning and restrictive covenants to exclude African Americans from his projects.
“No person accelerated white flight, redlining, and racial division in the Kansas City area more than J.C. Nichols,” Mayor Quinton Lucas said in a statement.
Goode made a similar point in his memo. “The fountain named in (Nichols’) honor, as well as the adjoining parkway allow racism to take center stage in our most photographed, valued and visited destination in Kansas City.”
Plainly put: J.C. Nichols was a racist. Kansas City need not honor him.
Nichols’ disturbing views on race would be reason enough for renaming the fountain and parkway. But the project takes on new urgency because the fountain, the surrounding park and the parkway have been at the epicenter of recent protests over racial injustice and the police.
It’s the right time to replace what J.C. Nichols represents with names that can unify the community.
It’s also the perfect place. J.C. Nichols Parkway generally marks the eastern border of the Plaza. Naming it for King would disrupt relatively few homes and businesses, but would remind visitors and residents of the city’s commitment — still unfulfilled — to inclusion and diversity.
Renaming the fountain and parkway would also likely end the frustrating debate over renaming The Paseo for King. We supported that effort, but Kansas City voters overwhelmingly rejected it. That vote and the hard feelings it caused still haunt Kansas City politics.
Goode’s promising proposal addresses The Paseo dilemma by naming a significant midtown roadway for the civil rights leader. …
THE MAYOR has voiced his support for both changes, which will help. The parks board will hold two hearings on the plan in the next 30 days, and written testimony is being accepted. Kansas City residents should help build momentum for action by endorsing the proposal.
This shouldn’t be hard. Renaming the water display as the Dream Fountain and naming J.C. Nichols Parkway for Martin Luther King Jr. are obvious steps in a city still struggling with questions about racism and inequality that have been highlighted by recent protests.
Erasing J.C. Nichols’ name won’t solve every issue in Kansas City, but it’s a start. And at this consequential inflection point for our city and our country, this would be a small step in the right direction.
