‘B’ word does not honor Czech heritage

The resurgence of the “B” word (“Bohemie”0 in Cedar Rapids, which coincides with the re-branding of the Third Street SE district as “New Bohemia,” frustrates me.

I am a lifelong resident of Cedar Rapids of Czech immigrant parents. My father came here from Moravia, a possession of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and my mother came from newly formed Czechoslovakia.

When my parents immigrated, they proudly described themselves as of Czech descent. They came from a people who struggled against an empire to have their own identity.

The “B” word was used to belittle the Czechs and keep them in their place, to remind them they were nationless. As a child, calling a Czech the “B” word was a serious racial slur and used to put newly arrived immigrants in their place.

My brothers and sisters, my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are not “Bohemies” and never will be. We are all Americans of Czech descent. It would break my father's heart to hear his great-great-grandchildren once again referred to as “Bohemies” or see the name “New Bohemia.”

I offer this challenge. Find me a native speaker of “Bohemie,” and I will wear a “I'm a Bohemie” T-shirt to St. Ludmila's bingo every Sunday for a year. Until then, stop using the “B” word.

If the Third Street District seeks to honor our Czech heritage, find a name that communicates dignity. Do not take again from my father his right to identity.

Frank J.L. Roman

Cedar Rapids