D.C. activists once wrote letters to name MLK Library. They did it again to push out Jeff Bezos.; The Washington Post, February 11, 2022

Ellie Silverman, The Washington Post; D.C. activists once wrote letters to name MLK Library. They did it again to push out Jeff Bezos.

"“It’s a special thing to have a public bridge or a library or street named after you,” said Ann Bartow, a professor at the University of New Hampshire’s law school, who has researched the intersection of trademark law and naming rights. “Are we going to celebrate the people who made the most money? Are we going to celebrate people who gave their lives in the military? Are we going to celebrate teachers who worked hard and were underpaid for 30 years? That’s an expression of values.”...

“It’s more than just a library,” said Kaplan of American University, who remembers getting her start as a researcher in high school in MLK Library’s archives. “For many of us, it’s a place for safety, a place of pride, a place of promise for the future, a place where our history has always been celebrated, documented and displayed. And that raises the stakes.”...

The backlash, Reyes-Gavilan said, showed that the naming process “is flawed.” He said that the library system sent the Morrison family a letter about the naming and that it was unclear what their wishes are at this time.

Apologizing for “the aggravation the naming process has caused,” Reyes-Gavilan said during the meeting that “whatever happens next will be taking place in a much more public way.”"