The mayor and city council in Duluth, Minnesota, are considering renaming any position containing the word “chief” because they believe it is a “microaggression” for Native Americans.
Job positions within the city’s government, including chief administrative officer and chief financial officer, would be renamed under the new policy as part of the city’s efforts to be more inclusive.
Duluth Mayor Emily Larson said the city will vote next week to remove the word “chief” from city job titles “so that we have more inclusive leadership and less language that is rooted in hurt and offensive, intentional marginalization.”
Alicia Kozlowski, Duluth’s community relations officer and a member of the Grand Portage and Fond du Lac bands of Lake Superior Chippewa, told the Star Tribune that the city is being proactive in working to remove these titles even before protesters have made the request. She said she finds the city’s use of the word “chief” to be “a racial epithet, and it turns into a microaggression.”
“I think that there are other titles that we have the opportunity to use to steer away from language that may put people down based off their race or culture,” Kozlowski said.
Several cities and states have taken steps to remove statues or traditions that have been deemed offensive to minorities following weeks of protests throughout the nation against police brutality and racial injustice following the death of George Floyd. Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died on Memorial Day after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes despite his pleas for air.
Duluth, which is located 150 miles north of Minneapolis, had been working to make the city more “inclusive” prior to Floyd’s death. The city has been editing the town charter to have “more inclusive, more reflective, more accurate, and more modern” language, including “gender-neutral language to better reflect that the mayor is not always going to be a man.”
If the vote passes on Monday, the city’s chief administrative officer’s title will be changed to “city administrator,” and the chief financial officer’s title will be changed to “finance director.” The city did not address changes the titles of the city’s chief of police or fire chief. Larson said the term “chief” is used in public safety to compare ranks between cities, which would be more difficult to implement, though it is something the city is taking into consideration.
