Spelling out a legacy
A group wants to change “C.B. Moore” to “Cecil B. Moore” on digital bus signs and street signs, claiming the abbreviation is offensive. Do you agree with the claim? Tell us about it.
Offended by the short form “C.B. Moore” on digital bus signs and North Philadelphia street signs, a group called the Cecil B. Moore Philadelphia Freedom Fighters is pushing to have the name spelled out as “Cecil B. Moore.” They say the shortening of the name, no matter how useful for signs of a finite length, is an affront to the civil rights activist’s legacy.
Do you agree? Tell us inthe comments below.
The city says that the production of “C.B. Moore Avenue” signs was a mistake that will be corrected, and SEPTA has agreed to meet with the group to discuss the bus signs.
A Philadelphia lawyer, Cecil B. Moore pushed for an integrated campus at Girard College and served as president of the local NAACP chapter in the ’60s and as the 5th District member of the city council in the ’70s.
What do you think of the Freedom Fighters’ claim? Are there other street signs in the city you would find offensive by the same logic?
WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.