SAY NO to Block “Negro” name
Where: gathering at Karlstad Station
When: Wednesday 23 September at. 11:00
Protest list: http://www.centrummotrasism.nu
In Karlstad there is a neighborhood called “Negro”. This name has been in place for nearly 150 years but now, the story has caught up with Karlstad and it is time that the name be changed to something that is not racist and that spares Sweden from international shame. On Wednesday, September 23rd, the City Planning in Karlstad Municipality will vote whether the name should be retained or not and the “Center Against Racism” and its member organizations are planning a demonstration in this connection.
During the period leading to the vote, four respondents had commented on the name change issue: National Land Survey, County Administrative Board of Värmland, Värmland’s Museum and Carl Urban Guild. All four institutions wish that the racist name be retained. You can read Lantmäteriets consultative opinion on http://www.cmr.nu. No African or Swedish anti-racist organizations have been asked what they think over the issue which reveals the institutional racism that has characterized the entire process.
Are you as shocked and upset that a region in today’s Sweden can have a clearly racist name and that Swedish authorities would like it to be retained? If so, go to http://www.centrummotrasism.nu and sign the petition.
You can also join the demonstration to be held in front of City Hall in Karlstad on Drottninggatan 32, at 12.00-14.00. We gather at Karlstad Railway Station at 11:00 and match jointly to the City Hall.
Coordinated travel to Karlstad will be held from Malmö, Gothenburg and Stockholm. Contact persons responsible for each place for details and more information. Since seats are limited, we urge anyone interested to try and get to Karlstad by either train, bus or car.
For more information:
Malmo: Momodu Jallow, equality for Afro-Swedes, jallow_66@hotmail.com, tel 076-2072219
Gothenburg: Charles Buyondo, Unplugged forever, charliebuyondo@hotmail.com, tel 070-4921130
Stockholm: Kitimbwa Sabuni, Afro-Swedes’ federations, kitimbwa.sabuni @ afrosvenskarna.se, tel 073-6872684
See You There
Center against Racism
About the Author
I sometimes wonder how double-faced the Swedes are. They talk about how non-prejudiced they are yet have left this name to be publicly used for years! Anyway, sign the petition to eliminate this name here:
http://www.petitiononline.com/cmrnamn/petition.html
Karlstad. Striden om kvarteret Negern i Karlstad är slut. Namnet tas bort.
– De har tagit sitt förnuft till fånga, säger Kitimbwa Sabuni i Afrosvenskarnas riksförbund till TT.
Kvartersnamnet är nästan 150 år gammalt, men har varit ifrågasatt på allvar först på senare tid sedan en privatperson undrade om det inte vore dags för kommunen att byta ut det.
Därefter har debatten om kvarteret Negern rasat på nätets debattsidor och i tidningarnas insändarspalter och Karlstads kommun har reagerat.
http://www.aftonbladet.se/senastenytt/ttnyheter/inrikes/article5844679.ab
Swedish town ditches ‘negro’ neighbourhood
http://www.thelocal.se/22254/20090924/
How is the word ‘negro’ “obviously racist”. That’s just stupid. I am more interested in knowing why the region was called negro before I decide whether it is racist or not.
Nynaeve, you can ask the Karlstad Municipality to tell you why the name was being used. Otherwise the word Negro is not politically correct for many today.
Karlstad’s Negern neighbourhood has been around for nearly 150 years, but came under fire recently after a private citizen complained that the name was “objectionable, insulting, or just plain rude”.