DOWLING ST. NOW BEING EMANCIPATED 
The folks at Project Row House posted this snapshot of a new street sign along Emancipation Ave., née Dowling St., which is getting its shiny new labels affixed in the leadup to this year’s Juneteenth festivities. (That’s when the name change will officially take effect, and when majorly overhauled Emancipation Park is once again planning to reopen, as well.) This particular set of signage is at the corner with Francis St., across Dowling Emancipation from the Tiny Treasures house, the crumbling remains of the Beauty Box, and the former site of the Flower Man’s toxic-mold-filled arthouse; the new signs look to have started going up along the road last week.  Photo: Project ROW House
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PC Ridiculousness. SMH
Don’t break your arms patting yourselves in the backs, history white-washers.
Fantastic sight!
OhBrother,
I’m sure you use the “R” word in front of down syndrome children. Or the “N” word in front of blacks. Being PC is lame though, right? Offending others makes you smile.
What’s the R word?
Considering Dowling (and Tuam, Dowling’s Irish birthplace) were both named as a deliberate poke in the eye of Houston’s African-Americans, who had established Emancipation Park through subscriptions as a place to celebrate the end of slavery, I think this renaming is not only long-overdue but corrects a historic insult. If Houston’s leaders had not been so eager to offend its black population, they could have kept the name of the street East Broadway–a perfectly fine name that would never have offended anyone.
JIM CROW lives on in Swamplot comments. I must be a glutton for abuse to keep coming back to this toxic website.
Because I sympathize with those who were offended by the now-replaced street name, and because I don’t learn history from street signs, I’m very happy to see this change.
Dowling but not Calhoun? Am I missing something obvious?
I am now looking forward to a US flag being draped over Houston’s first public monument (to Dowling) and being pulled over by a crane.
http://www.houstontx.gov/parks/artinparks/dickdowling.html
http://www.pressherald.com/2016/07/05/iranian-who-toppled-statue-of-saddam-hussein-has-regrets/
@OhBrother: The statue of Confederate leader Jefferson Davis has been taken down in New Orleans.
FYI.
i DO understand why some people find Dowling to be an offensive street name given the historical context. i DON’T understand why so many people are offended by the change to Emancipation enough to comment on the internet.
We have gone from making a statement with a street name (Dowling) to making another (Emancipation). I’m with Mr. Boyd; East Broadway (the original name) would have been just fine.
@Robert Boyd, thanks for providing some historical insight to this matter.
Oh please none of you even knew or cared who Dowling was until this revisionist history movement started a year ago.
—
Now that we do know, the War of Northern Aggression shall not be forgotten.
It’s raining race cards & Kim Crow taunts, just like I expected. You people are just so PC predictable.
Robert Boyd- While you’re giving a biased history lesson, why don’t you include all of Dowling’s contributions to the city? There are PLENTY of articles on it. Do they offend you?
HEB- If something GASP “offends” GASP you, don’t look at it.
Good progress! Enough racial hatred on the national pedestal now. Banish this confederate garbage to museums, not public squares, public buildings or street names.
How lovely………………
Innocent kids died fighting for the South. I’m from New Orleans and I can tell you I have never seen a rift like this in the city. Blacks didn’t even know that was Beauregard on that horse and most didn’t even know who he was. Now the whites are mad, and the blacks are mad. And for what?? All because of some stupid statue nobody cared about, until Landrieu, the great white savior, decided what was best.? All this PC holler than thou. Did you live in the 1800’s? It’s ridiculous.