Case in point: In the early 1990s, a mysterious person, dubbed the "Hon Man" by Baltimore Sun columnist Dan Rodricks, repeatedly tacked the word "hon" to the "Welcome to Baltimore" sign on Baltimore-Washington Parkway. Each time, officials removed the addition, but a debate ensued, with then-state Sen. Barbara Hoffman threatening in 1994 to hold $1 million in highway funds hostage unless the city permanently added "hon" to the sign. But many members of the city's black community did not identify with the word. Then-state Sen. Larry Young lobbied for the use of "bro" instead. Neither side won, but the pushback made one argument clear: "Hon" did not represent all Baltimoreans; what was prevalent in speech in the black and white communities was different.