The Texas Legislature passed a bill Monday that would request the federal government change the names of Texas landmarks that include the word “negro.”
A bill to change the names, which was passed in the early 1990s, did not accomplish the Legislature’s intended goal. The U.S. Board on Geographic Names has the final say on the renaming of natural landmarks and denied the requested changes, arguing the state hadn’t demonstrated enough support for them.
The resolution was passed with unanimous support by the House and Senate and is awaiting Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature.
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There appear to be at least 27 places in the state that have the word “negro” in their names, not including those that are likely a reference to the Spanish word for black, according to a database for the board.
“It sends a message to other stakeholders involved in the process that the state Legislature, along with our governor — we’re engaged in this, we’re supporting this. And we want to work constructively with all the stakeholders to get to the place we need,” said state Rep. James White, a Republican who filed the House’s version of the bill, according to the Texas Tribune.
Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, who sponsored the bill as a Texas lawmaker in 1991, was not aware the changes hadn’t been made until he was contacted for a story about the issue in 2020, he said.
“I’m very pleased,” he said regarding the resolution. “After the George Floyd killing, people are looking at and finding opportunities to go and right past wrongs.”
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“The perpetuation of racially offensive language is a stain on the Lone Star State, and it is vital that the names of these geographic features be changed in order to reflect and honor the diversity of the population,” Democratic state Sen. Borris Miles wrote in the resolution.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Abbott’s office and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
