OLYMPIA, Wash. — The public comment period is currently open for Washingtonians to give their input on renaming 18 federal locations across the state that contain a word deemed derogatory by the U.S. Department of Interior.
The word “sq---” was declared derogatory in November 2021 by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who also established the process to review and replace derogatory terms from federal places.
Now, the department is moving forward with a plan to rename 18 geographic features in Washington state to get rid of the term, which began earlier this year when the U.S. Geological Survey developed five candidate names for each feature.
The various features include mountains, rivers, lakes and creeks across 14 counties in the state.
“Words matter, particularly in our work to make our nation’s public lands and waters accessible and welcoming to people of all backgrounds. Consideration of these replacements is a big step forward in our efforts to remove derogatory terms whose expiration dates are long overdue,” said Haaland in a February.
The candidates were developed with the goal of advancing equity and inclusion through engagement with tribes and other stakeholders, including the general public.
Under Haaland’s November order, which established the Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force, more than 660 geographic features across the country will eventually have their names replaced.
As for the 18 locations in Washington, the public will be able to comment through the Federal Register on or before April 25.
To view the names of these places and each name proposal, click here.
State Rep. Debra Lekanoff, who represents parts of Whatcom, Skagit and San Juan counties, said a lot of her work has been around education and bringing respect to Native Americans and explained why it was important to stop using "sq---" in place names.
“It's a derogatory word that should not be used in any public setting whatsoever,” said Lekanoff. “This is no different than using the ‘r’ word and the mascots. If you are going to use a derogatory word toward any race, you should pause and really think about are you going to be an American and my America as a first American.”