HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-03-18 KCPRC Regular Meeting OFFICIAL
�/,• of 7'.?(j
•• 1934 •
• O
44t:' MFX1('
MINUTES
Kit Carson Park Renaming Committee Meeting
Hybrid Meeting
Town Council Chambers - 120 Civic Plaza Drive
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
1:00 p.m.
1. Opening Items
A. Call to Order
The Kit Carson Park Renaming Committee Meeting was called to order by the Committee
Chair Genevieve Oswald at 1:10 p.m.
B. Roll Call
Town Clerk Denise Martinez called roll and a quorum was present.
Those present were:
Committee Chair Genevieve Oswald
Committee Member George "Fritz" Hahn
Committee Member Peggy Nelson
Committee Member Sylvia Rodriguez
Committee Member Horacio Trujillo
C. Pledge of Allegiance
Committee Member Hahn led the Pledge of Allegiance.
D. Approval of Agenda
Committee Member Nelson motioned to approve the agenda. Committee Member Trujillo
seconded the motion. The motion passed. The Committee Members voted as follows:
Ayes: Nelson, Trujillo, Rodriguez, and Hahn.
E. Introduction of Items for the Committee - Introduction of New Committee Member -
Second Sheriff Jesse Winters - 2025 Taos Pueblo Governor's staff
2. Citizens Forum
James Gooch shared that he bought property in the area in 2008 and wasn't sure how qualified
he was to protest the name change. He mentioned that Kit Carson had lived in the town,
married two Native American women, and first arrived around 1828. Mr. Gooch described
Carson as a humble person, noting that much of what was written about him at the time was
exaggerated. He expressed that the town was fortunate to be the place where Carson had lived.
Mr. Gooch also mentioned that they were remodeling Carson's home, which he believed
benefited the community. He stated that Kit Carson Park had been known by that name for a
long time and that visitors who came to see Carson's home knew it as Kit Carson Park. He
agreed that the cemetery should remain named after Carson, but he saw no reason to change
the park's name.
David Fernandez, a native of Taos, spoke in two capacities. He introduced himself as the
president of the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area, which covers Taos, Rio Arriba,
and Santa Fe counties. His organization advocates for recognizing and preserving the history,
culture, and traditions of the region, including Taos. Mr. Fernandez emphasized his role in
listening to the community's opinions on the matter at hand.
He also shared his personal involvement in the issue, recalling that in the 1970s, he had been
one of the first people to propose renaming Kit Carson Park to Santiago Lujan Park in honor of
a Taos Pueblo veteran who died in World War II. This proposal sparked a stir at the time, and
David was part of a nationally publicized debate on the issue.
Mr. Fernandez highlighted his deep connection to Taos, mentioning his diverse heritage,
including Hispanic, Navajo, Anglo, and possibly Jewish and Muslim ancestry. He expressed his
long-standing engagement with the community's history and reiterated his interest in hearing
the opinions of others on the name change. David offered his support and availability to help or
contribute to the discussion.
Billy Romero, a third-generation business owner in Taos, expressed his concerns about the
proposed name change for Kit Carson Park. He shared that his family had deep roots in the
area, and although he wasn't opposed to the change, he questioned the timing and the
necessity of it. Mr. Romero noted that, based on social media and local polls, many people in
Taos didn't favor the change. He wanted to hear more discussions and arguments before
forming an opinion.
Mr. Romero emphasized that history couldn't be changed and that it should be learned from. He
suggested that there were more urgent issues in the town and county that deserved attention.
He also proposed that the decision on the name change should be made through a public vote
rather than by a committee. He raised concerns about the potential costs of the change, which
hadn't been addressed.
Mr. Romero acknowledged the history of Kit Carson, although he admitted he hadn't studied it
in-depth like others. He was open to hearing more, but he pointed out that it seemed as if a
decision had already been made regarding the name change. If the change was to proceed, he
hoped the new name would be something that the community could accept for the long term,
without future debates about it.
3. Consent Agenda - The items in the Consent Agenda have been reviewed by the Committee
Chair, and the Chair has placed these items on the Consent Agenda for the purpose of voting
on all items with one vote. The items listed are for the Committee's consideration and
approval.
A. Discussion, consideration, and possible approval of February 18, 2025, Kit Carson
Park Renaming Committee Meeting Minutes. (Town Clerk Denise Martinez)
Committee Member Trujillo motioned to approve the February 18, 2025 meeting minutes.
Committee Member Nelson seconded the motion. The motion passed. The
Committee Members voted as follows: Ayes: Trujillo, Nelson, Rodriguez, and Hahn.
4. Presentations
A. Global Perspectives and Opportunities (Committee Member Horacio Trujillo)
Mr. Trujillo framed the discussion as a continuation of the previous meeting, emphasizing the
normalcy of renaming and drawing on his global experience working with societies recovering
from historical traumas and expressed interest in helping the community understand how
renaming can be used to rebuild relationships and strengthen communities rather than focusing
on debating the history behind the name. Mr. Trujillo presented the idea that renaming is simply
another act of naming and explained that the insights were based on extensive research, not
personal opinion, with plans to address common arguments against renaming in more detail.
Mr. Trujillo countered the argument that renaming erases history, asserting that it adds to and
improves history by incorporating new insights and reinterpretations by highlighting the shift in
Western American history over the past fifty years. Mr. Trujillo stated that as we progress, we
are moving away from focusing solely on individual heroism and frontier narratives to
considering broader social movements and community development.
Mr. Trujillo noted the evolution from the "great man" approach to a more inclusive perspective
that recognizes collective social change furthers the recovery from historical traumas.
B. Taos Pueblo's perspective on renaming Kit Carson Park (Lt. Warchief of Taos Pueblo,
Benito M. Concha and/or Second Sheriff Jesse Winters - 2025 Taos Pueblo Governor's
staff)
Second Tribal Sheriff Jesse Winters, who was elected tribal sheriff that year alongside First
Tribal Sheriff Patrick Kopepassah, expressed gratitude to everyone for being present. Mr.
Winters shared that they had met with the governors and the war chiefs office to discuss the
renaming process and that he was honored to have been chosen by both offices to represent
the tribal government in the discussions. Mr. Winters also thanked the council and the Town of
Taos for including them in the process, noting that such invitations were uncommon, especially
for matters involving lands bordering tribal territory like Kit Carson.
Mr. Winters mentioned he had served in tribal government before on the war chief side and
emphasized the significance of including tribal voices, particularly given the impact on
communities bordering tribal lands such as Taos Canyon, Angel Fire, Eagle Nest, Questa, and
the Tusas Valley.
First Tribal Sheriff Patrick Kopepassah then thanked the council for the opportunity to represent
Taos Pueblo and the neighboring communities. Mr. Kopepassah spoke about the importance of
respectful dialogue in healing historical traumas and stressed the value of strengthening
relationships. Mr. Kopepassah highlighted the shared history between the pueblo and the town
of Taos and emphasized their responsibility to support the younger generation by fostering a
safe and healthy environment. Mr. Kopepassah expressed appreciation for being part of the
park renaming discussion and for the chance to support his fellow tribal sheriff and represent
their people.
Second Tribal Sheriff Jesse Winters stated that Lt. Warchief of Taos Pueblo, Benito M. Concha,
who was originally supposed to present, was unable to attend. Mr. Concha was involved in a
park renaming effort back in the 1980s, which ultimately did not succeed. The speaker
acknowledged that many people had ideas and suggestions for the park's new name but
emphasized, as Horacio had previously stated, that the land likely had a name given by their
people long before it was called Kit Carson.
Second Tribal Sheriff Jesse Winters highlighted that, in their culture, places were never named
after individuals. Instead, names were typically inspired by natural events or geographical
features, reflecting the belief that the Earth and its history extend far beyond human existence.
Mr. Winters pointed out that all humans, including historically celebrated figures, are fallible,
which is why their tradition avoided naming places after people.
Second Tribal Sheriff Jesse Winters expressed enthusiasm for the renaming process, stating it
inspired him to reach out to elders to learn what the park might have been called before it was
named Kit Carson. He saw this as an opportunity to reconnect with and preserve cultural
heritage, as well as to strengthen the relationship between their tribal community and the town
of Taos. Mr. Winters concluded by relaying the Governor's appreciation for the chance to be
involved in this open, collaborative effort.
C. Future Vision for the Park (Aspen Song Kids)
Tarynce Hise began by thanking everyone for having them and explained that the purpose of
their visit was to introduce themselves and share information about their program, with a focus
on resiliency. Mr. Hise introduced a championship dancer named Prince, who performed the
"Duck and Dive" dance, a symbol of resiliency created by the Nez Perce people. Prince, who
was part Nez Perce, Taos Pueblo, and Yakama, represented the warrior spirit and strength of
his heritage.
Mr. Hise also spoke a few words in the Tiwa language and invited a young elder to share more
about the program. Mr. Hise expressed gratitude to the elders, ancestors, family members, and
the natural world, emphasizing the importance of strength, resilience, and legacy for future
generations.
TJ Heiss, a young member of the Aspen Song Kids, then introduced himself and shared the
mission of the program, which was to preserve Taos Pueblo culture, heritage, tradition, and
language through art. He explained how the group honored their ancestors and practiced their
art and language regularly.
Mr. Hise went on to explain the broader mission and accomplishments of the Aspen Song Kids,
including publishing a book of art and poetry titled Sacred Spiral, traveling nationally to over 50
libraries, participating in international art shows, and teaching Native American studies at Taos
Academy. Future goals included organizing language immersion workshops, hosting youth-led
powwows, developing an artist residency, and publishing more books. Mr. Hise also mentioned
a need for funding and transportation support.
Finally, the group performed a warrior song and the Duck and Dive dance to honor the Nez
Perce tribe's resistance and spirit. Mr. Hise closed by expressing gratitude for the opportunity to
be present, sharing positive energy, and looking forward to future meetings—particularly the
park renaming event in Taos. They offered blessings to all attendees and their families.
D. A History of the Long Walk - Utah Historical Society (YouTube video link)
5. Matters from the Commission
A. Discussion, consideration, and possible approval of committee land acknowledgment.
Chair Oswald brought forth a land acknowledgment for discussion, explaining that while the
Town of Taos typically opened council meetings with a standard acknowledgment, this version
came from a new initiative called the Cultural Treasures Project. This county-level project, not
yet public-facing, aimed to map cultural treasures throughout Taos County and included a
diverse committee of about 25 members.
Over the course of four committee meetings, the land acknowledgment was collaboratively
developed. With the committee's permission, Chair Oswald presented a modified version
tailored to the work of the Kit Carson Park Renaming Committee. Chair Oswald emphasized the
importance of engaging with the acknowledgment meaningfully rather than treating it as a static
or symbolic document.
The land acknowledgment recognized the ancestral and current presence of the Red Willow
and Picuris Pueblos, acknowledged the history of colonization and dispossession beginning
with Spanish colonization and continuing through Western expansion, and highlighted the
ongoing impacts on Indigenous and land-based communities. It called for continued efforts
toward decolonization, sovereignty, equity, and community collaboration. Chair Oswald noted
that the statement was a living document, open to revision and community input.
During the discussion, Committee Member Sylvia Rodriguez appreciated the inclusion of
Acequia and land grant communities and encouraged a broader framing—one that highlighted
not only loss and trauma but also the resilience, resistance, and agency of Indigenous, Mestizo,
and hybrid communities. Ms. Rodriguez stressed that Taos was known not only for its suffering
but for its revolts, ongoing struggles, and cultural complexity. Committee Member Sylvia
Rodriguez advocated for acknowledging the blended and vibrant nature of the community and
avoiding simplified, siloed groupings.
Committee Member Sylvia Rodriguez appreciated the idea of a living, working document. They
reflected on land acknowledgments in the Taos area, expressing both appreciation and concern
—appreciation for the acknowledgment of land grant and acequia communities and concern
over what was often excluded.
Committee Member Nelson motioned to approve amending the motion to include that this is a
working document that having considered the land acknowledgement put out by the Cultural
Treasures Project, we give the first opportunity to make some changes to it to Horacio Trujillo,
who would then submit that to the clerk, who would then disseminate it to us, and that we then
have a discussion about this at our next meeting, and we have an ongoing discussion viewing
this as a living document subject to change. Committee Member Rodriguez seconded the
motion. The motion passed. The Committee Members voted as follows: Ayes: Nelson,
Rodriguez, Trujillo, Winters, and Hahn.
B. Discussion, consideration, and possible action on public engagement working groups
(web portal, data collection, shared documents, social media strategies, tribal outreach,
elementary school competition, comment boxes, volunteer support)
The discussion focused on public engagement strategies related to the Kit Carson Park
renaming process. The committee revisited various topics from a previous meeting, including
working groups, data collection, shared documents, tribal outreach, and digital engagement via
a web portal and social media.
Committee Chair Oswald suggested using the Town's existing but currently empty renaming
committee webpage to post key information such as committee member contacts, the founding
resolution, and eventually a land acknowledgment. They emphasized using the page to gather
public input, possibly through a comment box or survey. The proposed survey would ask simple
questions like whether residents supported the name change and, if so, what names they
suggested.
Committee Member Trujillo pushed back, arguing that focusing on names too early framed the
process in an adversarial, overly simplistic way. Instead, they advocated for a values-based
approach, gathering more nuanced input on community aspirations, relationships, and the
deeper significance of public naming. They recommended delaying direct discussion of potential
names in favor of broader community engagement.
Committee Member Nelson agreed with this more reflective approach, noting that asking people
what they valued in a community park would be more meaningful than simply polling about the
name. They also mentioned the idea of engaging local schools in the process, recalling a past
educational activity in which students held a mock trial of Kit Carson.
Overall, the group leaned toward a community-driven, value-centered approach that prioritized
dialogue, education, and reflection over immediate decision-making and suggested keeping the
committee's website simple to start, clearly stating the committee's mission and intention.
Committee Member Nelson motioned to approve the public engagement working groups.
Committee Member Trujillo seconded the motion. The motion passed. The
Committee Members voted as follows: Ayes: Nelson, Trujillo, Hahn, and Rodriguez.
C. Discussion, consideration, and possible action on strategies to address opposition or
misinformation.
The committee will not directly nor indirectly address opposition or misinformation but will
respond with the information from the presentation by Committee Member Trujillo. No action
was taken
6. Adjourn
Committee Member Trujillo motioned to adjourn the meeting, which Committee Member
Rodriguez seconded. The motion was carried unanimously, and the meeting adjourned at
3:50 p.m.
APP ED:
Genevieve Oswald, Committee Chair
ATTEST:
•
7rU,, )pit.Se4 1o(1'frh Z
• �""' artinez, To Ier
• f< •
•
,; 141 :j4
• • •• t
� w -
Docusign Envelope ID:78D20C73-EF85-4E40-8746-26C0DFEA0569
of
L1 • + •
•
• 71.1"119
1' • • •`\L
NI 1.
RESOLUTION NO. 25-17
A RESOLUTION TO REPEAL AND REPLACE RESOLUTION NO. 24-51 TO
ESTABLISH A COMMITTEE TO OFFICIALLY RENAME KIT CARSON PARK
LOCATED AT 211 PASEO DEL PUEBLO NORTE
WHEREAS, the Town Council desires to pursue with the renaming of the Kit Carson Park
based on action taken and approved by the Town Council on or about July 8, 2014; and
WHEREAS,the Town Council does not seek to rename Kit Carson Cemetery pursuant to action
taken and approved by the Town Council on or about July 8, 2014;
WHEREAS,the Town Council acknowledges the rich history of the Kit Carson Park and wishes
to preserve the historical site; and
WHEREAS, Kit Carson Park is not identified on the listed State Register of Cultural Properties
or on the National Register of Historic Places; .
WHEREAS, the Town Council nonetheless wishes to establish the Kit Carson Park Renaming
Committee to identify potential alternate names which honor the history to be considered by the
Town Council.
NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Town Council of the Town of Taos on this
11 th day of March 2025:
1. The Kit Carson Park Renaming Committee ("the Committee") shall consist of six (6)
individuals with experience and historic knowledge of the Kit Carson Park.
2. One (1) of members of the Committee shall be a member of the current Town Council to
be appointed by the Mayor and approved by the Town Council. This member of the
Committee shall not have the authority to vote regarding matters brought before the
Committee but shall be responsible for leading the meetings described herein.
3. The remaining five (5) members of the Committee shall be appointed by the Mayor and
approved by the Town Council. Each of these members shall have the authority to vote
regarding matters brought before the Committee.
4. Each member of the Committee shall be appointed to serve a one-year term.
Resolution 25-17 Page 1 of 2
Docusign Envelope ID:78D2DC73-EF85-4E4D-8746-26C0DFEA0569
5. The Committee shall meet no less than one (1) time per month until dissolution as
provided herein.
6. The Committee shall follow all rules and statutory requirements related to the Cultural
Properties Act of 1969
7. The Committee shall serve without compensation.
8. The Committee shall select a name or names to rename Kit Carson Park to be proposed to
the Town Council for approval and implementation.
9. The Committee shall not have the authority to act on behalf of the Town of Taos and
shall only serve as an advisory Committee to select a name or names to rename Kit
Carson Park to be proposed to the Town Council for approval and implementation.
10. Upon approval of a proposed name change by the Town Council, the Committee shall be
dissolved.
11. This Resolution No. 25-17 shall repeal and replace Resolution No. 24-51 in full.
PASSED, RESOLVED and APPROVED this 11`h day of March 2025 at the Regular Meeting
of the Town of Taos Council.
Mayor Pro Tern Marietta Fambro Yes
Councilmember Darien Fernandez Yes
Councilmember Corilia Ortega Yes
Councilmember Genevieve Oswald Yes
T OF T
Th
Pascualito Ma tas, Mayor
t.„0,0 t'T
ATT TED: •�O
• • S
Denise Martinez, Town Clerk • ., ,t - },
• •
APPROVED AS TO FORM: •
• t 0 :I 4
rSigned by: -- •r
it,SSiCA. I DIn
D0860OOBC866178
Jessica Nixon,Town Attorney
Resolution 25-17 Page 2 of 2
Recognizing Renaming as a
Normal Act and Invaluable Opportunity
Horatio Trujillo
March 2025
Presented to the Town of Taos Kit Carson Park Renaming Committee
Sources of Excerpts Included for Reference
• The Role of the West in the Construction of American Identity: From Frontier to Crossroads
• What's in a Name? The Geopolitics of Renaming Landmarks
• Historical geographies of place naming: Colonial practices and beyond
• What's in a Name? How Words Are Monuments
• Why we must teach the ugly side of public lands history...
• Why Words Matter: The ideological battle over what we call things
• Recognition, Reinterpretation, and Restitution: Universities and their Contested Pasts
• Should Slavery's Statues Be Preserved? On Transitional Justice and Contested Heritage
• I opposed taking Woodrow Wilson's name off our school. Here's why I changed my mind.
• Queen's University Drops Sir John A. Macdonald's Name: A Symbolic Step Toward Reconciliation
• Taking a longer historical view of America's renaming moment
• It's time to own up to the racism and violence embedded in the names of parks and public lands
• What's in a Name? What It Means to Decolonize a Natural Feature.
• A Guide to Changing Racist and Offensive Place Names in the United States
• Principles and Values of Restorative Justice
• Renaming Streets to Promote Reconciliation
(Re-)Framing Arguments against (Re-)Naming
Recognizing Renaming as a Normal Act and Invaluable Opportunity
Renaming as Abnormal Renaming as Normal
Erasing History Adding to and Improving History
• "History" is fixed, we know it and what to think about it • "History" is incomplete and being better understood (5-6)
• History as recounting and recording • History as investigation, interpretation and analysis (5-6)
• Recognizing "naming" as a historical act — both as a • Naming anew is also a historical act— we have the
sociopolitical act by those doing the naming to establish opportunity to make history, in part reflecting our
what they identified as important (values as expressed in improving understanding of history and even more so as a
events, persons, etc.) and, as such, an act in history to be sociopolitical act to express the values we identify as
investigated, interpreted and analyzed (8-12) important and worthy of promotion (14-17)
Applying Inappropriate Judgment Embracing our Progress
• "Recentism," "nuance," "singling out," "perfection is an • We have an opportunity to not be bound by prior limited
inappropriate standard" judgment, knowledge, understanding— and we can and
should continue to look for such opportunities (13-21)
Brand Loss Brand Opportunity
•The current name has recognition, and changing it will • We have the opportunity to come up with a valuable
lead to a loss of a recognized name and the attention that brand—particularly one that reflects our values and
that the name attracts aspirations for the park and our community
• Renaming can greatly improve marketing opportunities
Distraction for Government & Community Regular, Productive Function
•There are other more important matters for our attention, • Renaming is actually extremely common, and government
particularly for the Town administration bodies and processes for such are also common, which we
have the opportunity to learn from (13-17, 23-24)
•Arguments against renaming are unfortunately repetitive
and obstructive of productive action to seize opportunities
(Re-)Framing Arguments against (Re-)Namin€
Naming Anew as an Opportunity to Strengthen Our Community -
Looking to Restorative and Transitional Justice Models
Restorative Justice (General Framework)
Respect for Each Relationships
Other & Our Recognition of Restored,
Relationships Harms Repair of Harms Rebuilt &
with Each Other Strengthened
Transitional Justice (More specific framework of Restorative Justice for Societal-Level Harms)
Accountability Repair Guarantee
Taos Park Naming Opportunity
Review Identification of Shared Ongoing Efforts to
Context for Naming Realize our Values and
Naming Values and Aspirations for of Park Aspirations for our Park
Park Anew our Park in our Community in our Community
Truth(s) & Accountability Repair and Guarantee
Respect & Recognition Repair of Harms and Restoration, Rebuilding and Strengthening of Relationships
4
._
15
C
ea
N
41
.a
C
3
C
C
.
3
0
C
Y
. 120
O ,C
Z0
V) 0
•- a
L
IL
Q
E L
0
Nathalie Massip in Caliban (2012)
The Role of the West in the Construction of American Identity: From Frontier
to Crossroads
•Considered as the founding father of [American] Western history, Frederick Jackson Turner is famous for a
lecture he gave in 1893, entitled "The Significance of the Frontier in American History". [Turner's "frontier
thesis"] has had an extremely long-lasting impact, and may be considered as one of the main documents of
American historiography.
•Turner's thesis met with a huge success, and... remained the most convincing way to explain the American
past and American identity for a very long time. Part of this success is due to Turner's nationalistic tone...
[l]t depicted an American past that was as glorious and noble as that of any Old World power.
•According to Turner, it was the frontier that... distinguishes Americans from Europeans, and gives the
American nation its exceptional character. Turner famously asserted: "The existence of an area of free land,
its continuous recession, and the advance of American settlement westward, explain American
development".
•Asserting that it is the westward movement that best defines the United States, Turner... even goes as far as
claiming that slavery would not be such an important subject were it not for its relation to westward
expansion.
• [N]ew Western History... suggests a new reading of the Western past. One of the main features of the
movement is its rejection of the word "frontier", which the historians consider as racist and ethnocentric.
To Turner, indeed, the frontier was "the meeting point between savagery and civilization".
• Despite the efforts of many scholars, during the twentieth century, to point out the shortcomings and
inconsistencies of Turner's interpretation, and to call for a new paradigm to explain the American
past...[t]the appeal of the frontier to popular imagination made it even harder for historians to discredit...
Nathalie Massip in Caliban (2012)
The Role of the West in the Construction of American Identity: From Frontier
to Crossroads
• New Western Historians banish the "f-word" (Limerick 1994, 72) from their vocabulary altogether, and
replace it with the idea of "conquest".
•While Turner depicted the westward movement as a march of civilization and progress, the new historians
denounce the expansionism and colonialism of the nation. As prominent New Western Historian and author
of the landmark study The Legacy of Conquest Patricia Nelson Limerick states: "Conquest forms the
historical bedrock the whole nation, and the American West is a preeminent case study in conquest and
its consequences" (Limerick 1987, 27-28).
•Criticizing Turner for his focus on white male pioneers, [New Western Historians] also aim at writing the
history of all the actors of the western past: men, women, families, African-Americans, Chinese, Mexicans,
Native Americans, etc. The Western past is not a one-dimensional story of white men marching westward
and replacing savagery by civilization, resulting in the ennoblement of the American character, but a
multicultural tale highlighting ethnic and racial diversity, with people coming from the East, but also from
the North, the South, and the West.
• Neither is it the story of the unique and exceptional subduing of an empty land, but a tale of environmental
destruction and despoliation. In other words, far from the triumphalism, nationalism, and celebratory tones
of Turner's interpretation, the New Western Historians' reading of the Western past is dark, emphasizing
exploitation and conquest, and resting on moral ambiguity.
• [H]istorians Jeremy Adelman and Stephen Aron associate the [American West] with that of "borderlands",
in order to study "the variegated nature of European imperialism and of indigenous reactions to colonial
encroachments." Aware of the provincialism of their history in an era of globalization, New Western
Historians themselves have called for, in the words of Patricia Nelson Limerick, "comparative studies of
processes of colonialism and imperialism, [to locate] the region in the big picture of world history."
On " Naming
as an historical sociopolitical act
8
American University School of International Service (2025, Nicole Hassenstab)
What's in a Name? The Geopolitics of Renaming Landmarks
• Naming and renaming always carry performative meanings. By denoting places, we are engaged in
a language game: conceiving and communicating in a certain language and translating it to others
subtly reveals the assumptions and sometimes even ethical commitments we make as we call a
place by one name and not another... [I]t is a way to assert civilizational identities by selectively
and symbolically valorizing certain historical heritages over others.
•The ability to rename things is also a matter of interpretive authority and normative orthodoxy.
Who has the knowledge to arbitrate what a thing is called? If you are the one to name it, you are
also assumed to know it. To truly know something is a way to own it...
• [N]aming a landmark, region, or cultural practice is about collective ownership, way of life, and
even being itself.
Geography Compass (2023, Beth Williamson)
Historical geographies of place naming: Colonial practices and
beyond
• Place name studies have witnessed a considerable evolution from the traditional approach to a
more critical approach that considers power relations and the contested nature of the cultural
politics of place naming.
•Studying the colonial act of place naming enables geographers to investigate how colonial powers
named or renamed places to legitimise territorialisation and weaken territorial claims by
indigenous populations.
• [Scholars] have explored how (re)naming was used to order society and assert political and
ideological control by the coloniser.
•Power was inscribed onto the landscape through place names which helped to generate a sense
of belonging for the coloniser and, ultimately, was a tool for exerting control over social and
physical environments.
•By considering colonial place naming as an authoritative act, an understanding of how power is
socially constituted and inscribed onto the landscape has been developed.
•Finally, as part of a discipline-wide attempt to decolonise geography, place name studies are
challenging past colonial (re)naming processes. Scholarship that recognises the struggle and
resistance underlying the process of place naming is crucial for reaching fair political and cultural
representation and to prevent `symbolic annihilation of marginalised social groups and their
historical identities'. Recent geographical work has begun challenging past colonial (re)naming
processes by confronting settler place names.
Words are Monuments (as of 2025)
What's in a Name? How Words Are Monuments
•A national reckoning with American history and racial injustice has been playing out across various
sites, from monuments to museums, school curricula, and increasingly, maps.
•We encounter place-names all the time, relying on them every time we pull up an address on
Google Maps, and every time we send or receive a package. Place-names are also a key part of
the shared language through which we come to understand and navigate the world... They shape
consciousness, recruiting us, in everyday life, into a manner of seeing, understanding, and relating
to the land.
• From the colonial perspective, place-naming is an exercise in power and authority, a symbolic
means of claiming sovereignty over a place. "It was only natural," one researcher explained in
1925, "that the European colonists who first settled on the shores of America should
commemorate their sovereigns and patrons by naming places in their honor." What came
"naturally" to the European colonists was domination. For them, naming was equivalent to
claiming.
•For people whose ancestors were dispossessed of their tribal homelands and subject to brutal
practices of cultural genocide (including the banning of Indigenous languages and cultural
practices), colonial place-names are an extension of a long and ongoing project of forced
assimilation—a violent means of forcing Indigenous Peoples to navigate the world according to
coordinates defined by their colonizers. Like monuments to slave traders and genocidal colonists,
colonial place-names are a source of ongoing violence for the descendants of slaves and colonized
peoples who are forced to encounter them on a daily basis. As "spatial acts of oppression,"
monuments work to set the historical coordinates through which people encounter the world.
The Wilderness Society (2019)
Why we must teach the ugly side of public lands history...
•While the conservation movement has many storied moments worth celebrating, the legacies we
choose to focus on are far too often centered around the tales of white men "protecting" parks
and public lands.
•In fact, the full history of national parks, forests and other public lands in the United States is
interwoven with episodes of great cruelty and dispossession, often inflicted on the original and
traditional inhabitants of what we call North America. And oftentimes the stories of people of
color... are left out completely.
•Likewise, the story of how the Southwest became part of the U.S. is incomplete if it does not
include the dispossession of Latinx landowners after the Mexican American War. Some of the
lands taken after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo became a part of America's public lands system,
but we tend to gloss over that, or ignore it entirely, when extolling the beauty of these "shared"
open spaces.
•To form an inclusive picture of U.S. public lands history, we must examine its many different layers
and deal honestly with its darker chapters — and... tell this more complete story.
Valerie Fridland in Psychology Today (2024)
Why Words Matter: The ideological battle over what we call things
•Words have been in the news a lot lately, at least in terms of words that force us to face controversial parts
of our history.... Many question whether they should remain as place names or mascot, band, and team
names; others suggest that this is merely an overreach of political correctness. Who is right?
• Unfortunately, there is no easy answer, but perhaps the question being asked is the wrong one. The focus
on whether we should eradicate the use of such terms, and the political maelstrom it engenders, diverts us
from looking deeper into how these terms evolved and the social and cultural histories driving the battle
over their use.
•A famous saying in linguistics is that 'each word has its own history.' While we often use words without
knowing these broader histories, that doesn't mean this history is forgotten by all, or that our positions
relative to this history will be the same.
•To begin with, many place names are colonial legacies... Given this history, and since the meanings of words
include not just semantic aspects but, critically, also the connotations that those words take on as they are
used over time, it's not hard tosee why words become sources of socio-political struggle... Understanding
where these words come from may help us to understand why they are, to some, deeply problematic and
painful reminders of a racist past.
• Part of what makes us differentially sensitive to what terms mean is that we come to them from different
perspectives. Our understanding of a name or term is often shaped dramatically by our experiences with
those labels and the historical, social, and economic asymmetries that accompany them. We might not
personally find a word offensive because the history behind it hasn't affected us. But that doesn't mean
ignoring that history makes the word, or the world, a better place.
•We may not realize it, but in the 1960s and '70s, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names removed derogatory
words from hundreds of American place names, including many with the N-word as well as the word Jap, as
a result of their offensive and racist history. This more recent push for revising names is not new or
unprecedented.
On Naming Anew
as an historic sociopolitical act
Althea Cupo for the Research Group on University History (2019)
Recognition, Reinterpretation, and Restitution: Universities and their
Contested Pasts
"Historians want to celebrate the past warts and all, [while those responsible for institutions] want to
forget about it (insofar as it fails to enhance [their institutions']positive image)."
•"Reinterpretation and renaming are responses to accepting the difficult parts of... history," which come
after research and recognition of difficult heritage
• "Working through" renaming and replacing contributes to society "com[ing] to terms with the past," which
requires addressing abuses that happened in the past, not ignoring them or minimizing them.
•While some suggest that renaming and replacing can either "erase history" (that is perceived to be
admirable) or make difficult history less visible, rather renaming and replacing "adds to history," filling in
gaps and making it more complete.
•Of course, the history that was appealed to in naming a site in the first place is recorded, and the action of
renaming or replacing can not only also be recorded as a means of capturing developing history, this
documentation of the process can also present more completely the history in which the original namesake
was a part with those marginalized by the previously incomplete history more appropriately featured.
•Otherwise, by not taking the opportunity, are we choosing to continue to actually make difficult heritage
less visible, obscuring or diminishing abuses, if not actually implicitly validating them as justifiable in the
name of whatever the motivation was to honor someone in the first place, protecting perpetrators at the
cost of the victims?
• Renaming and replacing also allows for us to be more inspirational, particularly in representing the
progression of society's values beyond those now considered antithetical, treating earlier decisions as
perfect and not considering from what more worthy, more inspiring history or values are we taking away
the space to promote. We can both give ourselves and give future generations permission to update names
and institutions to better reflect our ever more perfecting values.
Joanna Burch-Brown in Journal of Applied Philosophy (2020)
Should Slavery's Statues Be Preserved? On Transitional Justice and
Contested Heritage
• Removing a monument or renaming a building is a historical moment in itself, which can make a lasting
impression in public memory and become part of both written and oral records of events.
• In their best enactments, removals can mark a moment when a community made a decisive stance to
acknowledge past wrongdoing, distance itself from the rationales that justified that wrongdoing, and
reaffirm shared commitment to universal human rights and equality.
•These moments and the debates building up to them are potentially powerful pedagogical opportunities.
They attract intense public attention and thus open a window in which it is possible to reeducate a public
about the historical record and also set a direction for future values.
• Ideally, as exemplified in Mitch Landrieu's speech marking the removal of Confederate statues from New
Orleans in April 2017, these events involve (1) forthright acknowledgment, apology, repudiation, or
condemnation of the wrongdoing; 2 non vindictive, accessible explanations of the histo
ry and its
g g ( ) p
significance; and (3) reaffirmation of core public values of equality, universal respect, joy, and togetherness.
• In their best forms, the overall effect can support healing, providing a sense of psychological resolution
through acknowledgment, and reaffirming dignity and moral protection of the whole community.
• Removals can take place in very different ways. They can take place through well structured, consultative
processes,.... [and] can also result from institutional leadership without wider consultation.
Christopher Eisbruger, Princeton University President, in Washington Post (2020)
I opposed taking Woodrow Wilson's name off our school. Here's why I
changed my mind.
• Wilson [the 28th President of the United States, 1913-2921] was an undergraduate alumnus of Princeton a distinguished professor on
its faculty and eventually its 13th president. He transformed the place from a sleepy college to a world-class research university. When
Wilson tried to reform the university's social clubs, the trustees fired him because his ideas were too progressive. [He] went on to
become governor of New Jersey, president of the United States and a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize [for his role in negotiating an
end to World War I and developing the League of Nations].
• For decades, the university has celebrated Wilson's record of public service and his achievements... On the Princeton campus, Wilson's
name was everywhere: on the prestigious School of Public and International Affairs, a residential college and the university's highest
award for undergraduate alumni. The first part of the university's informal motto, "Princeton in the nation's service," was drawn from a
Wilson speech.
• Wilson was also a racist. He discouraged black applicants from applying to Princeton. While president of the United States,
Wilson segregated the previously integrated federal civil service, thereby moving the United Statesbackward in its quest for racial
justice and contributing to the systemic racism that continues to damage black lives and our country today.
• Wilson's genuine achievements, I thought, gave Princeton sound reasons to honor him. He is a far different figure than John C. Calhoun
or Robert E. Lee, people whose pro-slavery commitments defined their careers and who were sometimes honored for the purpose of
supporting segregation or racism. Princeton honored Wilson without regard to, and perhaps even in ignorance of, his racism.
• And that, I now believe, is precisely the problem. Princeton is part of an America that has too often disregarded, ignored and turned a
blind eye to racism, allowing the persistence of systems that discriminate against black people. When Derek Chauvin knelt for nearly
nine minutes on George Floyd's neck while bystanders recorded his cruelty, he might have assumed that the system would disregard,
ignore or excuse his conduct, as it had done in response to past complaints against him. This searing moment in our national history
should make clear to all of us our urgent responsibility to stand firmly against racism...
• When a university names its public policy school for a political leader, it inevitably offers the honoree as a role model for its students.
However grand some of Wilson's achievements may have been, his racism disqualifies him from that role.
• For me, the decision was wrenching but right. Wilson helped to create the university that I love. I do not pretend to know how to
evaluate his life or his staggering combination of achievement and failure. I do know, however, that we cannot disregard or ignore
racism when deciding whom we hold up to our students as heroes or role models. This is not the only step our university will be taking
to confront the realities and legacies of racism, but it is an important one. Our commitment to eliminate racism must be unequivocal,
and that is why we removed the name of Princeton's modern-day founder from its School of Public and International Affairs.
AP News Canda (2024)
Queen's University Drops Sir John A. Macdonald's Name: A Symbolic
Step Toward Reconciliation
• [As Canada's first prime minister, Macdonald was] ...a foundational figure in the creation of Canada... [and] ...a figure of profound historical importance,
...instrumental in shaping the political and legal framework of the nation... His vision led to the creation of a unified Canada, forging a path for the
country's development during the 19th century.
• [Macdonald also played a role in] "establishing and promoting the residential school system... designed to assimilate Indigenous children by forcibly
removing them from their families, erasing their cultures, and subjecting them to systemic abuse.
•[C]onsultation revealed widespread concerns about the conflicting messages sent by Macdonald's name... For many, the continued association with
Macdonald's legacy undermined their sense of belonging and safety with the university environment.
•Queen's University's decision to remove Sir John A. Macdonald's name from its law school building is a symbolic yet powerful act of reconciliation. It
reflects the broader societal movement toward acknowledging the harm caused be colonialism and the need to address systemic racism. As Canada
continues its journey toward healing, actions like these represent important steps in creating a more inclusive and just society. By reckoning with its past,
Canada can move forward with a greater commitment to equality,justice, and reconciliation.
•For many..., the removal of Macdonald's name represents a meaningful acknowledgement of the harm caused by colonial policies. It is seen as a step
toward healing and a recognition that institutions of higher learning must be places where all students feel valued, safe, and respected. This decision
reflects Queens University's broader commitment to confronting systemic racism and fostering an environment where all students, regardless of their
background, feel welcome and valued.
•The removal of Macdonald's name is also part of a global movement that seeks to reframe the way we understand history. It invites us to acknowledge
that history is not just a series of achievements, but also a collection of actions that have shaped the lives of people, especially those who have been
oppressed or marginalized. [More specifically, it is] part of a larger movement that questions how historical figures associated with harmful colonial
practices should be memorialized in modern times... part of a growing trend... where monuments, buildings, and institutions named after figures with
problematic legacies are being reconsidered.
•This move also sends a message to the broader Canadian Society about the need for introspection and change in how we engage with our history. It
challenges Canadians to reconsider the ways in which we memorialize historical figures, particularly those whose actions have caused lasting harm to
marginalized communities. [The process] ...highlighted the need for... institutions to reconsider the way they honor historical figures whose actions
contributed to systemic harm... leading to a broader conversation about how institutions can be more inclusive and responsive to the needs of
marginalized groups. By confronting the legacy of figures like Sir John A. Macdonald, these institutions can foster a deeper understanding of history and its
implications for the present and future. The decision to remove Macdonald's name is not an end, but rather a beginning. Queen's University has pledged
to continue its efforts to promote reconciliation and address systemic racism. The removal of Macdonald's name is part of a larger effort to build a more
inclusive, equitable, and just university community.
•Institutions across Canada and beyond must continue to engage with these issues thoughtfully creating spaces where marginalized voices are heard and
respected. This process will require ongoing dialogue, reflection, and, most importantly, a willingness to confront uncomfortable truths.
On Naming Anew
as an embrace of our progress
Derek Alderman et al, in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (2024)
Taking a longer historical view of America's renaming moment
•The United States is amid a renaming moment as part of a wider global reckoning with public memorials,
symbols, and names. Names affixed to a wide range of streets, university buildings, military bases,
consumer products, sports teams, and even non-human species are being challenged and even changed
because of their association with and valorization of racism, settler colonialism, slavery, and patriarchy.
• Meanwhile, there is growing pressure to address how the nation's traditions of naming have worked to
erase indigenous ties to the land and neglect contributions of people of color, women, and queer
communities.
• [O]pponents tend to stoke public resentment about where these campaigns will stop in rewriting the
nation's landscape of names. These... appear more committed to maintaining the socio-economic order and
avoiding difficult conversations than substantively addressing past and ongoing wounds of discrimination
and challenging the oppressive structures underpinning that order.
•The wholesale dismissal of name reform as a superficial exercise too easily dismisses how members of
historically marginalized groups... can and do view naming practices as important to their lived experiences,
identity struggles, and political-emotional wellbeing.
•Stated directly, names play a significant role in the physical and ideological operation of the nation.
•Ongoing (re)naming conflicts are part of... deciding and debating which words and associated memories are
used to identify the United States and who matters culturally or is recognized as a citizen.
•These debates strike at the heart of how the United States comes to terms with... the political aspirations of
those groups and peoples long denied a place at the naming table.
• [S]truggles over American naming are part of the work of expanding civic imagination.
20
The Wilderness Society (2021 )
It's time to own up to the racism and violence embedded in the
names of parks and public lands
• [A]s the nation seemed to experience a moment of clarity and catharsis about some of its sins, ranging from
European colonization to slavery to the murders of Emmet Till and George Floyd... [o]ne of the most visible
manifestations of this awakening has been a discussion about our memorials, parks and other shared
spaces—especially a renewed scrutiny of which ignoble people they honor.
• [T]he offending element isn't always a statue, which is relatively easy to remove. It can instead be
something incorporeal yet very basic: the name given to the land itself.
• Numerous parks, national forests, wilderness areas and other public lands bear either racial slurs or the
names of Confederate soldiers, racists and frontier figures responsible for killing or dispossessing
Indigenous people.
• Part of the conservation movement's reckoning with its own historic racism, including some ideas and
policies embraced by Wilderness Society founders, has to be owning up to those naming sins and our
complicity in glossing over them as we promote the causes of public lands protection or outdoor recreation.
• Because we all have imperfect histories, we should feel comfortable revisiting them and rethinking our past
judgments about who or what deserves to be immortalized.
•We're all imperfect, of course. But because we're aware of that imperfection, we should find it entirely
appropriate to revisit our past decisions and those of our ancestors. We should feel comfortable, especially,
realizing the imperfection of our judgments about who is a hero, and about which language deserves to be
immortalized.
•Working together..., we hope to bring about a future when parks and public lands are fully inclusive — not
only in the policies and culture that govern who gets to enjoy them, but in who or what they honor.
On Restorative and
Transitional Justice
as models for approaching the opportunity to name anew our park
22
Dina Gilio-Whitaker in Sierra, the Magazine of the Sierra Club (2022)
What's in a Name? What It Means to Decolonize a Natural Feature.
Can changing the title of a mountain or river make it more culturally accessible?
• Name-changing is more than just the acknowledgment of the United States' history of brutality toward... peoples. It
signals a desire to account for this past and to build a future that holds the possibility of righting profound wrongs.
•After European settlers arrived in North America, sooner or later most sought to replace the Indigenous populations.
Typically, this began with the claiming and (re)naming of the land. Colonizers routinely imposed the names of their old
countries on Native American lands, ...with names that reflected their religions ...and ...names of some who actively
worked to destroy Native American nations...
• It's particularly offensive to Native Americans when geographical features in our ancient homelands and sacred places
bear the names of violent colonizers. Take Kit Carson Peak in Colorado...
• "What we need in Indian Country is to have advocates from outside Indian Country bring attention to these issues."—
California assemblyman James C. Ramos, the first California Indian ever elected to the state legislature and former
chairman of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.
• ...[E]ducation is the key to correcting a legacy of place-names that celebrate a dishonorable past. As an Indigenous
woman, I still remember the sense of dissonance I felt as a kid stemming from the incorrect history I was taught in
school compared with the stories my mother told me about the injustices our people suffered. As an educator, I know
firsthand that young people need to trust that they are being told a truthful story. Changing offensive place-names is a
step in that direction.
• ...[I]n 2020, the Alterra Mountain Company, which owns a network of ski resorts in the United States and Canada,
announced plans to change the name of [Squaw Valley] to Palisades Tahoe. The question now is, will municipalities that
bear the same offensive moniker follow suit?
• ...[E]ducating the public is a major challenge when for so many years people have accepted the names, no matter how
derogatory they are. "They say the name, you know, and they go... there... all those years. What's wrong with that?
Well, it's been bad. It's been bad from the beginning, and it's bad now. But if we... don't... start getting these names
changed, then we're going to see another 100 years go by with these names still there."
National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers
and The Wilderness Society (2022)
A Guide to Changing Racist and Offensive Place Names in the United
States
•Place names tell important stories about our past and help shape our future. When we use them
to honor people who perpetrated atrocities against Native Americans, we tacitly endorse a story
in which colonial expansion, conquest and genocide is honorable. That story heroizes people who
sought to exterminate the Native American men, women and children who have lived for time
immemorial on these lands.
•A naming regime—and an accounting of history—that is more honest and inclusive and less
tolerant of cruelty could recognize important figures and events in our nation's history while also
acknowledging the pain and perseverance of communities of color and other groups often
forgotten in these retellings.
•Contrary to some popular rhetoric, renaming racially insensitive or otherwise inappropriately
named geographic features or land units is not "canceling history." Rather, it is an opportunity to
provide a more honest accounting of America's past and a gesture toward healing historic
wounds.
•Of course, renaming geographic features is not a complete solution. It won't undo the harm done
to African Americans, immigrants, Native Americans and others by white settlers and the U.S.
government. It certainly won't undo slavery or the colonial takeover of Native lands. But it is a
vital step nonetheless, and one that can initiate a broader conversation about our past, and how
that past informs our present. In this way, renaming places plays a key role in the national
discourse about racism and privilege.
Joanna Burch-Brown in Journal of Applied Philosophy (2020)
Should Slavery's Statues Be Preserved? On Transitional Justice and
Contested Heritage
•The debates over statues and place-names can be seen as part of movements for transitional justice.
•The United Nations defines transitional justice as `the full range of processes and mechanisms associated with
a society's attempt to come to terms with a legacy of large-scale past abuses, in order to ensure account
ability, serve justice and achieve reconciliation'.
• In its guidance on transitional justice, the United Nations enjoins communities to seek peace, reconciliation, and
justice as mutually supporting aims, and it enshrines four key rights to (1) justice, (2) truth, (3) symbolic and
material reparations, and (4) guarantees of nonrecurrence.
• Preserving problematic monuments... sends an ambiguous message about a community's commitments to
justice and accountability. Removing honours from human rights violators is one of the few forms of corrective
justice avail able when a rights violator is dead. Demonstrating commitment to accountability can be important
for restoring the status of those harmed by human-rights abuses historic and present.
• [P]reservation [of problematic monuments] stands in tension with rights to truth. Commemorations usually
honour a community's 'great and good'. Maintaining historically honorific statues may be in tension with truth-
telling requirements if it has the effect of minimizing or downplaying the seriousness of an injustice.
• [P]reservation [of problematic monuments] can stand in tension with duties of symbolic repair. Objects like
Confederate statues can reasonably be read as expressing disregard for those harmed by the community's historic
injustice. Mere preservation sends an ambiguous message. A better strategy will be one that decisively reaffirms
the dignity of a derogated group.
• [P]reservation [of problematic monuments] can symbolize disregard for the lives of a derogated group, thus
providing little reassurance... that their rights will be protected... reinforcing wider social messages of
disregard... [and] being regularly primed to think of the racist motivations behind the monuments.
• [W]hen institutions are perceived as obscuring difficult history, this leads to distrust and tension between
communities.
A Restorative Place (2020)
Principles and Values of Restorative Justice
• [R]estorative justice aims to unite communities in celebration of shared values while addressing and resolving conflicts
with a focus on reconciliation.
• Restorative practices are centered in addressing and mending harm... repairing the damage done to relationships when
wrongdoing occurs, which causes individuals and communities to experience a sense of violation.
• [R]estorative justice... provides a framework for accountability but also promotes the restoration of relationships and
the well-being of the entire community.
Respect
• [E]ngaging in restorative practices as a way to repair harm demonstrates respect... Community members must
acknowledge any harm caused to another... regardless of intent...
Responsibility
•When community members... can understand how others were affected, they are expected/responsible to initiate the
process of repair.
Repair
• Restorative practices call for the restoration of broken relationships and involve a commitment to taking the necessary
steps to rectify the inflicted harm.
• In the process of repairing the harm we may get to root causes [and] mindsets... recognizing that some harm may
surpass the capacity for quick repair.
• In restorative practice we also recognize the systemic elements that cause irreparable harm and take into consideration
how they might be infused within conflict spaces.
• Identifying the harm and contributing to its repair involves the active participation of... stakeholders, allowing
individuals to regain or strengthen their connections, self-respect and the respect of others.
Dina Walters for the American Planning Association (2023)
Renaming Streets to Promote Reconciliation
• In the aftermath of the Civil War and the rise of the Lost Cause myth, symbols of the Confederacy rose
across the South, including street names. Following George Floyd's murder and the protests that followed
across the country in the summer of 2020, street names, among other memorials of the Civil War, became a
focus of change in the City of Charlotte.
• In the Druid Hill community of Charlotte, North Carolina, a predominantly Black neighborhood, residents
lived with a constant reminder of the pain and enslavement their ancestors suffered under Jefferson Davis
Street. The street was named after the president of the Confederate States, a slave owner who took on the
role of chief executive during the Civil War.
• Under the leadership of Mayor Vi Lyles, the city determined it was time for reconciliation and concrete
change that reflected the diverse population of the city, and telegraph a message of inclusivity and equity.
• Mayor Lyles, along with city council members, appointed a 15-person Legacy Commission to make
recommendations for making these changes. The commission was tasked with reviewing all of the
monuments and street names on public property in Charlotte.
• In the report on the Legacy Commission's recommendations, more than 70 city streets were identified as
having ties to the Confederacy, slavery, and white supremacy. This presented a significant undertaking, one
that the city was limited in budget to overcome.
•With the Legacy Commission, Charlotte demonstrates that visible, progressive change is possible. An effort
of this scope, while undoubtedly challenging, is worth the outcome to undo generational harm.
'' CITIZENS FORUM SIGN-IN SHEET
r'' (5 MINUTE TIME LIMIT)
--e Kit Carson Park Renaming Committee Meeting
rF' 1934 ' Town Council Chambers
!t M F•'i`%-
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
1:00 p.m.
PRINT Name Clearly Residence (NOT mailing address) TOPIC
ciAtfilk binC3.- -k dage)54(-421-1Q--*-1) 141-- 44 -2-,. k) 4)11--
DG.L/i(t0 re r vt �„ Le,7 /' 7 Am ill e c1 l !/v1;7 1 rinS ( ( 1 1
1 RI) 3204 (.4,,- w AAA, }4---g>e-4 s.
CITIZENS FORUM SIGN-IN SHEET
(5 MINUTE TIME LIMIT)
KCPRC Meeting
Town Council Chambers
Name Residence TOPIC
ATTENDANCE SIGN-IN SHEET
Kit Carson Park Renaming Committee
,•, Meeting - Town Council Chambers
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
1:00 p.m.
PRINT Name Clearly Residence (Not Mailing Address)
\}4 Age4) P-D -1-A
AitAfAiiJ -5
pl,,7d AA_01.64. /I.,I >7:-( a 5
kt CA tCA*4) (ab
\,, of I1
:111k
\` 1
+ t
1934 .'Q
h 4'• 'M i*
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Kit Carson Park Renaming Committee Meeting
The meeting will be held at the Town Council Chambers at 120 Civic Plaza Drive, Taos, NM
1 p.m.
1. Opening Items
A. Call to Order
B. Roll Call
C. Pledge of Allegiance
D. Approval of Agenda
E. Introduction of Items for the Committee - Introduction of New Committee Member - Second Sheriff Jesse Winters
- 2025 Taos Pueblo Governor's staff
2. Citizens Forum
A. Citizens wishing to speak shall limit their comments to 5 minutes. Citizens may submit comments to Committee
Chair Genevieve Oswald at goswald@taosnm.gov. No action may be taken.
3. Consent Agenda - The items in the Consent Agenda have been reviewed by the Committee Chair, and
the Chair has placed these items on the Consent Agenda for the purpose of voting on all items with one
vote. The items listed are for the Committee's consideration and approval.
A. Discussion, consideration, and possible approval of February 18, 2025 Kit Carson Park Renaming Committee
Meeting Minutes. (Town Clerk Denise Martinez)
4. Presentations
A. Global Perspectives and Opportunities (Committee Member Horacio Trujillo)
B. Taos Pueblo's perspective on renaming Kit Carson Park (Lt. Warchief of Taos Pueblo, Benito M. Concha and/or
Second Sheriff Jesse Winters - 2025 Taos Pueblo Governor's staff)
C. Future Vision for the Park (Aspen Song Kids)
D. A History of the Long Walk - Utah Historical Society (YouTube video link)
5. Matters from the Commission
A. Discussion, consideration, and possible approval of committee land acknowledgment.
B. Discussion, consideration, and possible action on public engagement working groups (web portal, data collection,
shared documents, social media strategies, tribal outreach, elementary school competition, comment boxes,
volunteer support)
C. Discussion, consideration, and possible action on strategies to address opposition or misinformation
6. Adjourn