Source: SFGate
“Over 30 places in 15 California counties will be getting new names by Jan. 1, 2025, replacing offensive slurs that still mar sites around the state, the California Natural Resources Agency said Friday. The initiative isn’t new, but the deadline is. In 2021, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland created the Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force to help remove the racist slur ‘squaw’ from places names across America. Haaland’s formal declaration addressed the fact that the term ‘squaw’ has ‘historically been used as an offensive ethnic, racial, and sexist slur, particularly for Indigenous women.’ Early uses of the word confirm a longstanding derogatory association, especially during times when the dispossession and enslavement of Native women were common, according to a report published by Palisades Tahoe resort.” (11/17/24)
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/place-names-california-replace-racist-slur-19923570.php