San Anselmo Council Weighs Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Name Change

SAN ANSELMO, CA — The San Anselmo Town Council will discuss changing the name of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard at its Tuesday night meeting, officials said in a news release.

The discussion comes as communities throughout the country confront a reckoning in the aftermath of George Floyd's killing in police custody that triggered an explosion of protests last summer in support of racial and social justice.

The town of Fairfax became Marin County's first municipality to back the renaming of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, The Marin Independent Journal reports.

San Anselmo is among five jurisdictions participating in a discussion about the use of Sir Francis Drake’s name on the boulevard that traverses east-west across central Marin County.

Marin County, Larkspur, Fairfax and Ross are the others.

The Fairfax Town Council on Wednesday voted unanimously in favor of changing the name of the controversial 16th Century explorer with ties to slave trading among other atrocities.

Fairfax's move to rename Sir Francis Drake Boulevard followed Larkspur and Ross deciding to keep the slave trader's name on the roadway.

Drake launched his maritime career in the slave trade in the 1560's and played a key role in England's slave trafficking industry according to History.com.

English scholar Claire Jowitt alleges Drake was also a murderer, HistoryExtra reports.

Drake is believed to have landed in what is now coastal Marin County amid a worldwide expedition.

The Sir Francis Drake Boulevard name change is scheduled to go before the Marin County Board of Supervisors Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.