Onondaga County Legislature Democrats

An Open Letter to Our Community: On Juneteenth, Let Us Reclaim the Language of Our Public Spaces

As we celebrate this Juneteenth weekend (June 19-June 21)—a day honoring freedom, perseverance, and the ongoing work of liberation—I want to bring attention to a matter rooted in how our community chooses to tell its own story.

In Onondaga County, there is a street named Plantation Boulevard, located in the Town of Clay with a Liverpool, NY 13090 mailing address. The street primarily serves the Wellington Manor Apartments, a multi‑building, garden‑style residential complex developed during the mid-to-late 20th century, well after the early industrial and settlement history of the Village of Liverpool.

While Liverpool’s earliest documented history includes 18th‑century taverns, salt works, and transportation routes along Onondaga Lake, Plantation Boulevard is not a product of that era. Instead, it reflects a common trend of suburban developments in the mid‑1900s adopting romanticized “Old South” names like Plantation, Dixie, Confederate, and others. These were used as marketing tools to evoke a nostalgic, sanitized image of the antebellum South.

History tells us a fuller truth.

Across the United States, the word “plantation” carries deep and painful meaning. For millions of Black Americans, it symbolizes chattel slavery, forced labor, violence, and the systemic dehumanization of our ancestors, individuals who were forced to build the roads, houses, physical and economic infrastructure, we existed today.

For many residents today, simply living on or driving past a street named Plantation becomes a daily reminder sanctioned by the state: a reminder of oppression rather than of community.

Street names and public landmarks are never “just labels.”

They are declarations of what a community values, remembers, and chooses to uplift.
And today, across our nation, local governments are reconsidering how the names of our shared spaces can reflect the values we hold—equality, dignity, and belonging for all.

Renaming a street is not an erasure of history.
It is a commitment to accurate memory and community healing. It is a refusal to perpetuate the romanticization of a system built on the suffering of others.

Imagine, instead, a name rooted in local pride and local legacy. What if our landmark names were ones that reflected who we are today and the community we want to become.
Wouldn’t it be an act of collective courage and collective care to honor someone who truly shaped this community?

Someone whose leadership stands as a living example of what progress looks like?
Imagine renaming Plantation Boulevard after the first and only Black principal who resides within this community. A name that reflects growth, representation, and the future we are building together by reflecting on the individuals who have anchored us and hold meaning to us.

From National Action Network President, Pastor Bernard Alex:

“I have learned over the years the importance of words, names, and declaratives (the speaking of words) in society. We see thoroughfares, roads and highways being improved and or redesigned while there is a complex ‘named’ Serenity Apartments has a road, a thoroughfare named ‘Plantation Blvd’ seems counterintuitive at this time unprecedented in our region, and or OUR Nation. Honor the growth of our Nation, the development of our Region, and advancement of our mindsets and what we SPEAK by CHANGING the name of a ‘boulevard’ to represent the growth and advancement of what WE will speak in Central New York will affirm for generations to come. Why? Because the road to freedom has already been paved! We can not regress nor accept such a pain-filled WORD while declaring ‘liberty and justice for all!’
— Pastor Bernard Alex
National Action Network President

On this Juneteenth, let us reflect not only on the freedom won in 1865, but on the work we are called to do in 2026.

Let us commit to ensuring that our public spaces—the places where we live, walk, gather, and raise families—reflect the values of a community that honors all its people.
Changing a street name will not solve everything. But it is a meaningful step.

Every step forward defines how movements begin and continue. On Juneteenth Weekend, Friday January 19, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. the town of Clay will be holding a press conference to announce the process to rename Plantation Boulevard. The opportunity to redefine the next chapter of this neighborhood begins today.

Righting Wrongs A Neighborhood’s Desire to Reclaim a Name

Yesterday, Majority Leader Nodesia Hernandez honored the 200th birthday of Matilda Joslyn Gage at the Onondaga County Courthouse by presenting the Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation with a Onondaga County Gold Seal.

Matilda Joslyn Gage was a renowned author and activist of her time, fighting for women’s suffrage and rights for Indigenous peoples. Gage famously presented an American flag to the 122nd regiment of New York’s Volunteer Army during the Civil War, which was carried through several historic battles including Antietam and Gettysburg.

A very special thank you to Onondaga County Clerk Emily Bersani for setting up this wonderful event and preserving the colorful history of our county and region!

A statement from Majority Leader Nodesia Hernandez on the current status of Jowonio School:

"Jowonio is a cornerstone of our community, renowned for its inclusive approach to early childhood education and its dedication to children of all abilities.

Our neighborhoods are at their strongest when our children have safe, nurturing environments to learn, grow, and play. Seeing the halls of Jowonio filled with laughter and learning once again is a major win for our community."

Yesterday, Majority Leader Nodesia Hernandez, alongside Legislators Jeremiah Thompson, Dan Romeo, and Elaine Denton attended a celebration marking an incredible milestone: the donation of the 2 millionth book through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in Onondaga County.

This achievement represents far more than a number—it represents two million opportunities for children to discover the joy of reading, strengthen early literacy skills, and develop a lifelong love of learning. Through the Imagination Library, children receive free, age-appropriate books delivered directly to their homes each month, helping to build strong foundations for future success.

Congratulations to everyone who has helped make this milestone possible, and thank you to Dolly Parton and the many local partners who continue to champion literacy and educational opportunity for children across Onondaga County.

Every book placed in a child's hands is an investment in their future.