MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Congressman Steve Cohen is at it again. He wants to strip J. Edgar Hoover’s name from the FBI Headquarters Building in Washington. And – news flash – I agree with him completely.
Hoover was FBI director for nearly 50 years. And for most of that time, he did everything but insure equal justice for all citizens. Cohen calls him a notorious bigot who waged a covert campaign against the Civil Rights Movement. And for that alone, his name should not be on any building that represents justice.
Previous bills that Cohen sponsored to get rid of Hoover’s name were unsuccessful because Republicans controlled one or both Houses of Congress. But now that the House and Senate are in Democratic hands, the chances are greater that the name Hoover will be swept from the FBI Building.
And that’s not all. Cohen has another bill to remove the name of former Klansman turned Congressman Clifford Davis from the federal building in Memphis. Critics will argue that Cohen is trying erase history when he should be concerned with more important issues.
But I could not disagree more. If words matter, then so do names. And the names J. Edgar Hoover and Clifford Davis no longer deserve to be honored in the halls of justice. This is part of the reckoning with race and social justice that must go on. And I applaud Cohen for continuing the push. And that’s my point of view.