A caller identifying as “Jebadiah from Duluth, Minn.” made it onto the Aug. 4 episode of the podcast Yo, is this Racist? The show, hosted by Andrew Ti and Tawny Newsome, answers questions from listeners about whether given subjects are an example of racism or not.
The caller raises the issue of whether naming a bike trail in Duluth “Straight Outta Congdon” is racist. The suggested trail name plays on the title of the 1988 debut album Straight Outta Compton by the rap group N.W.A. And, of course, Congdon Park is the affluent Duluth neighborhood that contains Glensheen Mansion, former home of Duluth’s wealthy Congdon family.
Ultimately the hosts of the show felt the name Straight Outta Congdon isn’t necessarily racist, it’s just not that clever. They instead suggest, not necessarily seriously, that “TrailSpin” is a better name, playing on the title of a Disney animated television series called TaleSpin.
Hat tip to Nathan Amundson of the band Rivulets for alerting us to this Duluth reference.
Shoutout to Duluth on this week’s @yoisthisracist #DaLuth pic.twitter.com/l8rIvNJdhR
— Rivulets (@rivulets) August 4, 2021
