As the result of what Assemblyman James Ramos considers his most personal, proudest and meaningful accomplishment, the State of California has already renamed a dozen and will change the names on 31 more locations throughout the state that involve the word “squaw.”
Assembly Bill 2022, authored by Ramos, was passed by both houses of the state legislature earlier this year and signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 25. It goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2025, and requires the term “squaw” to be removed from all geographic features and place names in California.
Generations of Americans saw no offense in the term or its use, believing that it was simply a borrowing from the Algonquian language, in which it means “woman” or a young, unmarried woman, first making its way into American English in the 1630s. It had come to mean woman or, when used in conjunction to a reference to a man, his wife.
Some native American advocates, those in the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation among them, as well as women’s advocates, however, consider the word a racial, ethnic, and gender-based slur, particularly aimed at Native American women, likening it to “cunt.” In his written statement commending his legislative colleagues for the passage of Assembly Bill 2022, Ramos refrained from spelling out the word in full, instead writing ‘sq_’ when referencing it. He said that “Its removal is a crucial step in recognizing the ongoing trauma and oppression that native communities have faced.”
There were 43 such placenames in California, four of which – Squaw Valley Lane in Victorville; Squaw Bush Road, Squaw Road and Squaw Court, all located in unincorporated county areas – are within San Bernardino County.
“The ‘sq_’ is a word that denigrates Native American women and dehumanizes them,” according to Ramos. “I believe that dehumanization has contributed to the murdered and missing indigenous people crisis that affects all of our people but that strikes women and girls in disproportionate numbers. AB 2022 received broad support around the state from tribes, tribal advocates, civil rights organizations, teachers and many more. Not one of my colleagues in the legislature voted against the bill because so many recognize this word is not a placename that belongs in California. I thank the governor for his signature, all who assisted in passage of AB 2022. California Natural Resources Agency Secretary [Wade] Crowfoot and his advisory committee also deserve thanks and appreciation for their thoughtful and deliberate process in implementing the measure.”