Advisory Committee on Reconciliation in Place Names Eliminated by Trump Administration
The Department of the Interior’s Advisory Committee on Reconciliation in Place Names (ACRPN) was eliminated by Trump’s Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum, on Thursday. In an internal memorandum, Secretary Burgum wrote that the ACRPN -- along with five others that were also terminated Thursday -- “are unnecessary and have fulfilled the purposes for which they were established, and I accordingly terminate them to the maximum extent consistent with law.” The ACRPN was tasked with identifying derogatory place names and recommending a plan for their replacement. Thousands of racist and derogatory names remain on lands across the country.
As a coalition dedicated to changing racist and derogatory place names, CORE is incredibly disappointed to learn this news. With derogatory names still haunting our lands, many people are unable to feel fully welcomed and comfortable in the outdoors. These names promote and condone hate, bigotry, and racism.
In 2021, former Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) launched the largest federal initiative to remove derogatory place names. Haaland removed more than 650 place names containing a racial slur against Indigenous women, replacing them with names chosen by community members and Tribal Nations, and created the ACRPN to identify and replace additional derogatory names. In their two years of work, the ACRPN identified over 1,500 derogatory names, as well as ways to improve the renaming process and community education around renaming. These recommendations were sent to Secretary Haaland for review. However, Haaland and the Biden Administration did not act on the ACRPN’s recommendations before the end of her tenure as Interior Secretary.
The elimination of the ACRPN comes as the Trump administration has made sweeping cuts across the federal infrastructure, particularly to areas deemed to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. Last week, the Bureau of Land Management rescinded internal guidance documents to help eliminate the usage of a slur against Indigenous women from BLM websites, signage, and documents.
CORE was engaged with the ACRPN’s work, attending their public meetings, providing verbal and written public comments on their work, and providing recommendations. In November, CORE Steering Committee leader Kimberly Smith, a citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee, was appointed to the Committee.
“I am deeply disappointed by the termination of such a vital commitment. This decision, like so many others from this administration, inflicts harm and perpetuates trauma on the communities and lands we serve. It is heartbreaking to know that this body will no longer lead the nation in the critical work of renaming.
I want to express my deepest appreciation for the dedication and energy of the committee—those who have spent countless hours researching harmful place names, engaging in difficult yet necessary conversations, and working toward a future where our landscapes reflect respect and truth. Their efforts have been invaluable.
They can terminate a committee but not a movement. We will continue to honor our Ancestors and future generations by pushing forward with renaming. This is a call to action. It is now up to us, the American people, to demand the continuation of this essential work—because healing intergenerational trauma and confronting racism through renaming is not optional; it is necessary."