Edit: Apologies in advance for anyone seeing this twice across communities, Lemmy’s usually good at letting one know if a link’s been posted elsewhere, but it didn’t work as I was submitting this.

  • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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    9 months ago

    Realistically, no one ever cares anything about a pol once they’ve left office. No one thinks that old So and So was heroic because they have a bridge named after them. I’ve lived in NYC all my life and never once bothered to look up who Major Deegan [Major Deegan Expressway is a main thoroughfare]

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Francis_Deegan

    • Aniki 🌱🌿@lemm.ee
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      9 months ago

      Maybe we should, thought.

      In 1922 he was considered a strong candidate to become national commander of the Legion at their convention in New Orleans, but was defeated due to his strong advocacy for admitting black veterans into the organization. Advocacy for the rights of black people was a strong theme throughout Deegan’s career, including during his position as Tenement House Commissioner.