Under Haaland’s order, a federal task force will find replacement names for geographic features on federal lands bearing the term “squaw,” which has been used as a slur, particularly for Indigenous women. A database maintained by the Board on Geographic Names shows there are currently more than 650 federal sites with names that contain the term.
The process for changing U.S. place names can take years and federal officials said there are currently hundreds of proposed name changes pending before the board. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Board on Geographic Names took action to eliminate the use of derogatory terms for Blacks and Japanese. In 2020, the Phoenix City Council voted unanimously to rename Squaw Peak Drive to Piestewa Peak Drive after it was decried as a demeaning and degrading word.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.