Campaign To Change Racist Lake Name Gets 50 New Allies
Fifty Washington lawmakers have made an impassioned plea to change the name of a North Cascades lake on federal maps to remove the possibility that it represents a racial slur.
The state Board of Geographic Names changed Coon Lake to Howard Lake in 2007, but the federal government did not follow suit.
The state change followed a campaign by a Seattle man with ties to the Stehekin area who had noticed the old name on federal maps.
In a letter sent Wednesday to U.S. senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, the state lawmakers said the state board renamed the lake in honor of Wilson Howard, a black prospector who staked claims in the area in the late 1800s.
The legislators – Democrats and Republicans – said the change was “advocated by a range of citizens, local residents and property owners, along with the Chelan County Board of Commissioners and the Chelan County sheriff.”
“We are very disappointed to learn that the federal government has to date refused to ratify the state’s decision – normally a pro-forma matter,” the letter to the senators said.
“We urge you to work with the administration and your colleagues to right this wrong … and make our national parks welcoming to all people.”
Read more on KUOW about the issue and other places in the state with names seen as racist.
Read the full letter below:
-
Gil Aegerter
Gil edits feature pieces and helps guide staff reporters through their stories. He previously served as interim digital director and online managing editor at KUOW. Before that he spent seven years with NBCNews.com, where he was variously a senior editor, editor-producer and features editor. He also worked 25 years as a newspaper editor in Anchorage, Alaska, San Diego, Wilmington, N.C., and Seattle. He also was a freelance researcher for NBC Olympics for the Games in Atlanta; Sydney, Australia; Salt Lake City; Athens; and Torino, Italy. He is a graduate of the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, with a degree in photojournalism.
More stories from Gil Aegerter »
