Reader’s letter: Amherst’s acts of genocide should be enough to force name change

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Re: We clearly have a long way to go for reconciliation, by Anne Jarvis, Sep 25

Geoffrey Amherst (1717-1797) became a warrior at the age of 18 and commanded soldiers as a British imperial officer for 60 years.

Among his many deployments, the one that resonated with us in Essex County was his involvement in the British conquest of North America.

That successful campaign led to the end of New France and, sadder, to the beginning of the long-running campaign to exterminate the indigenous peoples of the colony, some of whom were once its allies against the French.

Our ancestors of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries shared great pride in being part of the British Empire. Many citizens today still do. The geography of Canada is rich in English, Scottish, Irish, and Welsh people and place names.

But when the reality of the truth in history begins to diminish our pride, in the face of Lord Geoffrey’s enthusiasm for genocide, we really need to address it.

Amherst and derivatives of Amherst are no longer honorable names: not for a Canadian city, not for a street in a Canadian city, and certainly not for a school in a Canadian city.

To the few unaware Trustees of the Greater Essex County District School Board on the new high school naming committee, who are “Building Tomorrow Together” and claim they were “caught off guard”, I hope you will: check out the the board’s own land recognition statement and recognize the need to break the outdated chain of honor by naming a school.

For the residents of Amherstburg, I hope you will start a public, unemotional, and principled debate to consider the merits of choosing a new name for your great community.

One precedent you may want to review is how, until 1916, Kitchener Township was Berlin, Ontario.

Harold Goldin, Windsor

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Reference-windsorstar.com

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