SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Two California lawmakers have proposed removing the word "squaw," a slur against Native American women, from all geographic features and place names in the state.
Assembly Bill 2022, introduced by Assemblyman James Ramos, D-Highland, and Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, D-Bell Gardens, would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024. Ramos said the word is an idiom that came into use during the westward expansion of America, and is not a tribal word.
"AB 2022 would ban the use of the S-word and establish a process for renaming locations with that offensive racial and sexist term which began as derogatory word used against Native American women. For decades, Native Americans have argued against the designation's use because behind that expression is the disparagement of Native women that contributes to the crisis of missing and murdered people in our community," Ramos said in a statement announcing the bill.
