AS WE went to press, the new name for The Black Boy in Shinfield was being voted on by residents.
We await the results with interest.
Certainly the proposal has raised a lot of comment.
People feel very attached to the name, which they argue has historic links to King Charles I, and also chimney sweeps.
However, Greene King are taking positive action in light of last year’s Black Lives Matter protests.
It is an emotive issue and requires the wisdom of Solomon.
There can be no doubt that in years gone by, casual racism existed every day. Back in the 1970s, television sought to call it out through sitcoms such as Love Thy Neighbour and In Sickness and In Health.
But people did miss the joke, thinking the programmes were trying to be racist, when the writers were trying to show the protagonists were misguided.
The racism that exists today can be more subtle, more hidden, and less pronounced. It is this that we need to tackle.
Equality, diversity and respect are needed by all of us if we are to make progress, and it is with this in mind that Greene King is taking this action.
Ultimately, the name of a pub is neither here nor there. Some people will always use the historic name, while others will look instead at the welcome they receive, the quality of food and how well their real ale is kept.
On balance, Greene King is doing the right thing for the right reasons.
The Voice of Wokingham is the editorial for Wokingham.Today
