Racism isn’t just a matter of skin color. It’s a product of our everyday environment—written in history books, the languages we speak, and according to a recent analysis, names of geographic locations.
Last month, Vocativ released data that revealed at least 1,441 "federally recognized places" in the United States have names that contain slurs. The news site said it cross-referenced terms in the Racial Slur Database with 2.2 million location names in the U.S. Geological Survey’s Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
Most places with derogatory names are located in the country's Western and Southern regions, with the largest cluster in Arizona. But like racism itself, these names are scattered all across the U.S.
Recently, the Confederate flag—a symbol of hatred and oppression for many—has been removed from college campuses, online games, and government buildings. But the fight against injustice doesn’t end there. Rectifying the legacy of racial oppression also means addressing other pervasive ways it is carved into our reality—including geographic locations.
With that in mind, NTRSCTN has compiled a list of four places whose racist names were replaced: