Is the Enfield street name “Indian Run” offensive?

Indian Run, Enfield, Conn.

 

This summer, the town received a letter from Nick Lefakis, a retired full-time professor at Asnuntuck Community College. He asked the town “to look into changing the name of D’Annunzio Ave.,” the Patch reported.

Lefakis wrote: “Further examination of Gabriele D'Annunzio identifies him as a fascist and a mentor to Benito Mussolini, who was aligned with Adolf Hitler during World War II and fought against the American forces and our allies.”

In the pre-World War II era, D'Annunzio was described as “Italy’s famous poet" in the Thompsonville Press.

In one Thompsonville Press report:

“Gabriele d’Annunzio, Italy’s famous poet, whose flying feats are the admiration of his countrymen, has not the slightest fear of death, and has a presentiment [a feeling about the future] that he will die in action. To a friend who interviewed him he remarked: “My worldly life has ended. What can I do after the war? I shall write no more. Every time I go off on an expedition I hope it will be my last. That is the reason for my fearlessness. The finest end I wish for is to die for my country.”

The street was named after him in 1935.

D’Annunzio died in 1938 but didn’t get his wish to die for his country.

Prof. Lefakis letter notes: “He died of injuries he sustained after being thrown out of a second floor window. He was in a fight with the husband of a woman with whom he was allegedly having an affair.”

The proposal to change the name of D’Annunzio Ave. received more than 200 comments in Facebook. Most critical to the idea. Some argued for renaming the street after a local veteran.

There was a question about whether the street was actually named after the Italian. It's likely. Gabriele D'Annunzio was known in the local community.  A fundraiser held in town for him in 1919 raised $320 or $4,300 in today’s dollars.

This brings us to Indian Run.

Is “Indian Run” an offensive term? The question around d’Annunzio Ave. may help answer this.

The Associated Press Style Guide says “American Indians, Native Americas,” are acceptable terms in general reference. But it says not to use “Indian” as a standalone word or a form of shorthand.

There is controversy around use of the word "Indian." It’s a foreign word used by the colonizers. It also more correctly refers to people from India. The name “Indian Run” may be around a sports activity.

Would Enfield have named a street after d’Annunzio post WWII?  Most likely not. It's safe to say a local veteran would have been the first choice. And by then a more complete picture of d’Annunzio’s views may have emerged.

Similarly, would the town have named a street “Indian Run” today? I also suspect not. The town might have been more sensitive to indigenous naming conventions. The street name might have given people pause.

Should the name Indian Run be changed?

I’ll answer this question this way.

Today is widely known as Columbus Day. But that is giving way to Indigenous People’s Day, and someday Congress may make this official. Things do change. Our understanding of history continues to improve. The past shapes who we are today, and the more we understand the more questions we can ask.