From its founding in 1949 and up until 2018, Archbishop Riordan sat on Phelan Avenue. 2023 makes it five years since city officials changed the street name from Phelan Avenue to Frida Kahlo Way.
In 2018, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors along with residents in the area voted to change the name in honor of Latina artist Frida Kahlo.
Phelan Avenue was named after a 19th-century Irish immigrant, James Phelan, but it was the acts of his son, James D. Phelan, who prompted people to reconsider the street name.
James D. Phelan was a former San Francisco Mayor and United States senator. He was known for his racist acts of politics, featuring slogans such as “Keep California White” and being a supporter of the Chinese Exclusion Act.
At the forefront of the pack making the change was San Francisco Supervisor Norman Yee. He made it known that the name change was especially important to him as a Chinese-American man living in San Francisco.
In 2018, Yee told the KQED, “They [his family] actually had to feel this type of racism that people had to go through around that time.”
Frida Kahlo was an artist who is known for staying true to herself, which was shown through her art.
Latinos Unidos Club Member Santino Martinez ’24 stated, “Frida Kahlo is important because she was a Latina artist who set her own standards, breaking the boundaries of art.”
Edgar Franco ’25 stated, “It is important that people know about these significant figures from other cultures, especially living in San Francisco.” He then continued, “With as diverse as it is, the city should find ways to honor the cultures that make San Francisco so special.”
With it being five years since the change, the “new name” does not seem new anymore. Regardless of whether people like the name or not, Archbishop Riordan High School will be home to Frida Kahlo Way for many years to come.
