Warren, Green Reignite the Fight to Remove Racist, Derogatory Names from Public Lands and Landmarks

Warren, Green Reignite the Fight to Remove Racist, Derogatory Names from Public Lands and Landmarks

Bill Text (PDF)

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Al Green (D-Texas) reintroduced the Reconciliation in Place Names Act to remove racist and bigoted names from national landmarks.

Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) joined in cosponsoring the bill.

Across the United States, many landmarks still have names that contain racial slurs or celebrate people who persecuted Native Americans, upheld slavery, or led Confederate war efforts. The Biden administration began the important work of soliciting, reviewing, and recommending changes to derogatory geographic and federal land unit names, even establishing a process to review and replace these names. The administration successfully renamed more than 650 places that included derogatory or racist words in their names.

Now, the lawmakers are renewing the fight for Congress to formalize the work started by the Biden administration.

The Reconciliation in Place Names Act would:

• Create an Advisory Committee of civil rights advocates, Tribal citizens, and other stakeholders to advise on the renaming process;

• Solicit proposals from tribal nations, state and local governments, affected land management agencies, and members of the public, providing an opportunity for public comment on the name change proposals; and

• Require the Advisory Committee to make recommendations to the U.S. Board of Geographical Names (BGN) for renaming geographic features and to Congress for renaming federal land units with derogatory names.

"Our national landmarks should honor the beauty of our parks and forests, not an ugly legacy of racism and bigotry," said Senator Warren. "I am grateful for the Biden-Harris administration and former Secretary Haaland's work to remove these derogatory names. Now, it's time for Congress to codify a renaming process so our country can live up to its highest ideals."

"Now is the time to ensure the names on our nation's geographic features reflect dignity and respect. I am proud to partner with Senator Elizabeth Warren on the reintroduction of the Reconciliation in Place Names Act, which marks a crucial advancement toward justice and equity," Congressman Al Green stated. "This legislation confronts places bearing shameful names rooted in oppression and invidious discrimination. We must honor the rich and diverse history of all Americans by removing names that demean or disrespect any American."

"It is long past time that we remove hateful and racist names from our nation's landmarks," said Senator Duckworth. "As our nation continues to reckon with the wounds of slavery and racism, I'm proud to join Senator Warren and my colleagues in introducing this legislation that would help us uproot white supremacy and prevent people of color from feeling unwelcome at our public lands. We can do better, and we should do better."

"It is critical that we examine the history of racism and white supremacy in our country, especially on public lands which are open to everyone," said Senator Markey. "This is not about erasing history, but cementing new legacies that honor and respect the contributions of communities that have been harmed by cruel bigotry in the past, and face systemic bigotry today. With the Reconciliation in Place Names Act, we can ensure that public lands will be welcoming to everyone."

"Public places should be inviting to everyone - not honoring figures who promoted discriminatory, bigoted beliefs," said Senator Padilla. "As we work to build a more tolerant country, our outdoor spaces should promote inclusivity, and that starts with changing the derogatory names of some of our geographic landmarks."

"Everyone deserves to be able to explore the natural wonders of the United States without being demeaned," said Senator Smith. "This bill would work to eliminate offensive names from Federal landmarks, ensuring that every person feels welcome as they explore our public lands."

"Continuing to use racist and bigoted terms that have plagued this country for years is no way to honor American public lands," Senator Wyden said. "When we condemn white supremacy and discrimination, we can pave the way for an America that reflects our country's diversity. Our treasured public lands are owned by all Americans who deserve to embrace and access these lands without forcing them to use offensive language."

"America's great outdoors are some of the most iconic and treasured places in the world. Today, too many of our lands and waterways hold offensive and derogatory names, or glorify a history of racism. It is our responsibility to address these issues, and we applaud Senator Warren and Congressman Green for reintroducing the Reconciliation In Place Names Act, taking a step in that direction," said Robert Scott, Deputy Legislative Director of the Sierra Club.

"We spend time with our families and kids on public lands, and yet, some of these names are so offensive, they would be considered a curse or profanity if spoken out loud. Not only should we replace offensive and racist names of natural features, but we should also restore their Indigenous names, which were removed as a way to sever Indigenous people from the lands that they have stewarded since time immemorial," said Kimberly Smith of The Wilderness Society, former appointee to the Advisory Committee on Reconciliation in Place Names.

The following organizations endorsed the bill: Adventure Crew, AISES, Alaska Wilderness League, Atlantic Black Box, CactusToCloud Institute, California Environmental Voters, Californians for Western Wilderness, Castine Historical Society, Castine, Maine, Children & Nature Network, Color My Outdoors, Conservation Lands Foundation, Conservation Nation, Earthjustice Action, Environmental Protection Information Center -EPIC, EXPLORE Kentucky, Forest Keeper, Friends of the Earth, Grand Canyon Trust, Hunters of Color, Just-Trails, Justice Outside, Latino Outdoors, League of Conservation Voters, Mountain Surf Creative LLC, MountainTrue, National Congress of American Indians, Native American Rights Fund, Native Organizers Alliance, Nature for All, Next 100 Coalition, North American Indian Women Association Daughters, Southern Environmental Law Center, Tali Elohi, The Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society, Together for Brothers, and Tuleyome.

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