The names of five geographic locations, including two lakes, have been changed in New Brunswick as part of the Black History Compilation Project.
The provincial government was asked last month by the Saint John-based group Pride of Race, Unity and Dignity through Education to remove “Negro” from place names in Saint John and Grand Bay-Westfield.
READ MORE: NB government asked to remove ‘Negro’ from place names in province
The name changes include:
- Little Negro Lake is now called Richards Lake
- Negro Lake is now called Corankapone Lake
- Negro Brook is now called Black Loyalist Brook
- Negro Head is now called Lorneville Head
- Negro Point is now called Hodges Point
President of Pride of Race, Unity and Dignity through Education, Ralph Thomas told the Canadian Press in January that the goal of the new names was still to honour black history in the province, while eliminating the “N-word.”
“What we have found in our study is that a lot of people are still using the negative word, the N-word, and that’s what we are trying to get away from,” Thomas said.
In April 2016, the government also changed the name of Negro Brook Road to Harriet O’Ree Road in Sussex, after a black woman who had lived on the road, according to an 1861 census.
Over the past two years, the provincial government has spent $100,000 supporting the project and helping to raise awareness.
“This project has allowed for increased awareness of black history in New Brunswick and, more importantly, it has brought awareness to stories that are now accessible to current and future generations in our province,” Thomas said in a release.
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