The Maryland Department of Transportation last week removed several road signs pointing to Negro Mountain, part of the Allegheny Ridge starting in Maryland and continuing into Pennsylvania, over concerns about racial insensitivity.
Pennsylvania Rep. Rosita Youngblood (D-Philadelphia) has been trying to get names like Negro Mountain, Squaw Valley and Pollocks Knob now considered insensitive or inappropriate changed since 2007.
Her latest attempt is House Bill 1794.
Rep. Youngblood notes most geographic names must be changed at the federal level, through the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. This federal agency is a reactive body and does not initiate name proposals. It accepts proposals from local, state, tribal, and federal agencies, as well as from local organizations and private citizens.
In order to help assist residents, organizations, and local governments in their attempts to change potentially derogatory or outdated geographic names, her legislation proposes the creation of the Commonwealth Advisory Board on Geographic Names.
Click Here for more background on the legislation.
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