Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), signed Friday’s bill to remove the word “squaw”All California geographical place names can be used to declare the term a “racist and sexist slur” — and leaving the town of Squaw Valley in an uproar.
AB 2022 declares: “The term ‘squaw’ is a racist and derogatory term that has historically been used as an offensive ethnic, racial, and sexist slur, particularly for indigenous women.”The state must remove the word from more than 100 names.
After a long effort by the U.S. Department of Interior under Deb Haaland as its Native American secretary to get rid of that word, the bill was finally signed. “squaw”You can find place names all over the country. (Both federal and state attempts avoid spelling the word. “squaw,”Use “sw___” instead.)
The move is generally acceptable, but it angered some who don’t feel the term to be racist and sexist. Fresno County town, Squaw Valley has 3,511 inhabitants and was outraged.
The town’s name has been targeted (successfully) for two years by a local Native American activist, Roman Rain Tree. Residents were not allowed to speak publicly about the change until this month.
It Fresno Bee reported:
Anger organized the first meeting of public in Squaw Valley to discuss federal, state, and local efforts to alter the name Fresno County’s rural Fresno County.
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The word is now widely considered a sexist slur, but not to most who spoke during Tuesday night’s meeting outside Bear Mountain Library, including some who identified as Native American.
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Magsig requested that everyone be allowed to speak at this week’s Squaw Valley meeting. However, those speaking in support of the name change were constantly interrupted and shouted at. Squaw Valley was praised for its name and applause. Laughter also punctuated the meeting, including after one man asked if he’d have to someday change the name of his hoe farming tool and backhoe tractor. At least half a dozen Fresno County Sheriff’s Office deputies were present to keep peace.
The new law is not yet clear how it will impact the town. However, the Department of the Interior is currently reviewing the name. It exempted Squaw Valley, one of seven places, from the changes.
Although the bill calls for consultations with communities to determine a name change, it is still possible to use the existing names. BeeNotably, the residents of Squaw Valley were opposed to the change in the name. They didn’t even bother to look at other names.
In the 1960 Winter Olympics, Squaw Valley was the site of the renaming. “Palisades Tahoe.”This was after Black Lives Matter protests which followed George Floyd’s assassination in Minneapolis, Minnestoa.
Joel B. Pollak serves as Senior Editor at Large for Breitbart and hosts the show. Breitbart News SundaySirius XM Patriot Sunday Evenings, 7 p.m.-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 p.m.PT Author of the e-book Neither Free nor Fair, The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He recently published a book called “Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S Presidential Election.” Red NOVEMBERThe conservative view of the 2020 Democratic Presidential Primary is shared by. The 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship was awarded to him. Follow him at Twitter @joelpollak.
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