NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Big changes are being made to several areas across the country that previously included a racist term in their name. One of those places is in Tennessee.
The historically offensive word describes a Native American woman. It has been a yearlong process to see change and remove the word from geography.
It was an effort from the U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. She took office in 2021 and is the first Native American to lead a Cabinet agency. She said the change was necessary because words matter, especially in their work to ensure the nation’s public lands and waters are welcoming to people of all backgrounds.
In Tennessee, a town near the North Carolina border has been renamed Partridgeberry. The other sites are in California, North Dakota and Texas.
Native American Nations are saying this was long overdue and that they're pleased to see the racially insensitive and offensive name has been removed.
This isn't the first time the Interior Department has changed names. Offensive names for other races were removed in the 60s and 70s.
