Secretary's Order (S.O.) 3404, issued on November 19, 2021, declared the word “sq___” to be derogatory and directed a series of Department of the Interior (DOI) actions to replace the word in all geographic names used by the federal government.
S.O. 3404 established a 13-member Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force to reconcile the derogatory geographic feature names. It included representatives from the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, National Park Service, Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Civil Rights, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation, and U.S. Geological Survey. The Department of Agriculture’s U.S. Forest Service was also a member.
Related Content
How did the Secretary’s Order 3404 Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force reach a final decision on replacement names?
Secretary's Order 3404 outlined a process that concluded in 2022. The Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force reviewed all candidate names, including those generated by the U.S. Geological Survey, received by the Board on Geographic Names (BGN) as part of a formal proposal prior to January 24, 2022, or contributed through a public comment period (February 23 to April 25, 2022) or Tribal...
How did the Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force choose replacement names under Secretary’s Order 3404?
The replacement names came from several sources. Initially, a list of five candidate names for each geographic feature was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey as directed by Secretary's Order 3404. These names were derived through a search of nearby named geographic features until at least five nearby names were available. The candidate replacement name replaced the derogatory modifier. For...
Does the Board on Geographic Names (BGN) decide what is derogatory or offensive?
The BGN’s Principles, Policies, and Procedures document includes a Policy on Derogatory and Offensive Names. As of 2023, three words are declared derogatory in all occurrences: In 1963, the BGN, at the request of the Secretary of the Interior, mandated that the pejorative form of the word “Negro” be eliminated from all federal maps and publications. The word was replaced with “Negro” for all...
What words are considered “Derogatory” under Secretary’s Orders 3404 and 3405?
Secretary's Order 3404 and the Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force considered only the word “sq___” to be within its scope. Secretary’s Order 3405, also issued on November 19, 2021, created an Advisory Committee on Reconciliation in Place Names for DOI to receive input from interested parties regarding additional derogatory terms; derogatory terms applied to federal land units; and to establish...
What criteria did the Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force apply to select replacement names under Secretary’s Order 3404?
A list of five candidate names for each geographic feature was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey as directed by Secretary's Order 3404. The candidate replacement names were derived through a search of nearby named geographic features until at least five nearby names were available. The candidate replacement name will replace the derogatory modifier. For example, “Castle Creek” is the nearest...
What is Secretary’s Order 3404 and the DOI Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force?
Secretary's Order (S.O.) 3404, issued on November 19, 2021, declared the word “sq___” to be derogatory and directed a series of Department of the Interior (DOI) actions to replace the word in all geographic names used by the federal government. S.O. 3404 established a 13-member Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force to reconcile the derogatory geographic feature names. It included...
Related Content
- FAQ
How did the Secretary’s Order 3404 Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force reach a final decision on replacement names?
Secretary's Order 3404 outlined a process that concluded in 2022. The Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force reviewed all candidate names, including those generated by the U.S. Geological Survey, received by the Board on Geographic Names (BGN) as part of a formal proposal prior to January 24, 2022, or contributed through a public comment period (February 23 to April 25, 2022) or Tribal...
How did the Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force choose replacement names under Secretary’s Order 3404?
The replacement names came from several sources. Initially, a list of five candidate names for each geographic feature was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey as directed by Secretary's Order 3404. These names were derived through a search of nearby named geographic features until at least five nearby names were available. The candidate replacement name replaced the derogatory modifier. For...
Does the Board on Geographic Names (BGN) decide what is derogatory or offensive?
The BGN’s Principles, Policies, and Procedures document includes a Policy on Derogatory and Offensive Names. As of 2023, three words are declared derogatory in all occurrences: In 1963, the BGN, at the request of the Secretary of the Interior, mandated that the pejorative form of the word “Negro” be eliminated from all federal maps and publications. The word was replaced with “Negro” for all...
What words are considered “Derogatory” under Secretary’s Orders 3404 and 3405?
Secretary's Order 3404 and the Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force considered only the word “sq___” to be within its scope. Secretary’s Order 3405, also issued on November 19, 2021, created an Advisory Committee on Reconciliation in Place Names for DOI to receive input from interested parties regarding additional derogatory terms; derogatory terms applied to federal land units; and to establish...
What criteria did the Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force apply to select replacement names under Secretary’s Order 3404?
A list of five candidate names for each geographic feature was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey as directed by Secretary's Order 3404. The candidate replacement names were derived through a search of nearby named geographic features until at least five nearby names were available. The candidate replacement name will replace the derogatory modifier. For example, “Castle Creek” is the nearest...
What is Secretary’s Order 3404 and the DOI Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force?
Secretary's Order (S.O.) 3404, issued on November 19, 2021, declared the word “sq___” to be derogatory and directed a series of Department of the Interior (DOI) actions to replace the word in all geographic names used by the federal government. S.O. 3404 established a 13-member Derogatory Geographic Names Task Force to reconcile the derogatory geographic feature names. It included...