Kansas committee declines to rename Negro Creek despite local outrage

Angel Saunders
·2 min read
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For years, residents in Johnson County, Kansas have called for the renaming of Negro Creek. In 2020, citizens finally banded together to start a petition, which garnered hundreds of signatures. Unfortunately, this week, local leaders decided the name will remain.

After 400 Kansas residents signed the 2020 petition, in 2021, the Negro Creek Renaming Committee was born. The purpose of the board was to discover the history and meaning behind the name, local news station Fox 4 said Wednesday (May 3). According to the outlet, members could not settle on a definitive reason regarding how the body of water got its name as it has held that title since around 1850. The committee also announced they would not seek an updated description request from the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.

“Why continue to hold on to such an offensive and racist name of something that was used as [an] integral part of our history and allowing people to finally find their freedom?” a portion of the 2020 petition read, as shown in a screenshot included in a tweet from 2020. In a 2021 interview with NBC News, Kenya Cox, then-executive director of the Kansas African American Affairs Commission, discussed why Negro Creek should be no more. “How we name places and how we see ourselves in public spaces really speaks volumes to what we value and what is important to us. It’s time for us to have this conversation. We have to be willing to lean into discomfort and do the hard things. I think we’re going to be better for it and our children are going to be better for it in the end,” Cox expressed.

Meanwhile, Fox 4 claims that although the waterway will still be officially known as Negro Creek, the renaming committee does want to take action toward making the area more inclusive. Johnson County leaders have shared plans to distribute historic signs throughout the area. A date for the updates has not been set.

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