Western North Dakota community faces possibility of renaming due to "racial slur"

Courtesy of: McKenzie County Official Facebook Page
Courtesy of: McKenzie County Official Facebook Page

(McKenzie County, ND) -- A western North Dakota town may be getting a new name, in an effort to remove offensive language from federal land names.

The McKenzie county town named "Squaw Gap" is one of seven unincorporated communities which reside on federally owned land across the country which could be renamed, in an effort to remove racial slurs from federally owned land. The term "squaw" is considered an offensive racial slur for Indigenous women. 

The U.S Department of the Interior is working with members of the Squaw Gap community before coming to a final decision.