Push to change racist place names in Washington state
Originally published March 31, 2016 at 7:26 pm
Updated April 1, 2016 at 5:29 am
OLYMPIA — Washington state remains dotted with racially offensive place names. Glance at a map and in any part of the state, and one might see landmarks such as Negro Creek, Squaw Lake, Redman Slough and Coon Creek.
Now, Sen. Pramila Jayapal, D-Seattle, and officials at the state Department of Resources (DNR) have teamed up to begin petitioning to change the names.
Jayapal helped with an effort that last year persuaded the federal government to change the name of Coon Lake in Chelan County to Howard Lake, after an African-American prospector ...
To change a name, an application must be submitted to the Committee on Geographic Names, which is under the purview of DNR. Once it gets initial approval, the petitioner can seek public support for a name change ...
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/new-push-to-change-racist-place-names/