One of the US states will change its name due to the association with slavery

"What's in a name?" For the state of Rhode Island, these are years of problems due to the fact that its official name is associated with the times of slavery in the United States, writes New York Post.

Photo: Shutterstock

Changes are taking place in the smallest state of the United States: on Monday, June 22, Governor Gina Raymondo signed an executive order that takes the "first steps" to change the full name of the state, which now looks like this: "Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" .

Part of the "plantations" became the object of close attention during the mass protests after the murders of George Floyd and Breonne Taylor.

The order will change the name to "Rhode Island" on official communications from the Governor's office, including future executive orders, forms and other documents. All state government agencies will also be required to remove the word "plantations" from their websites.

The order does not permanently change the state's official name - it would require voters to amend the Rhode Island Constitution, the document says.

The state legislature has indicated that it will move towards a referendum after the Rhode Island Senate has taken a measure calling for a general state vote to change the name.

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The bill was introduced by the only black Senator of Rhode Island, Harold Metz.

"Whatever the meaning of the term 'plantation' in the context of Rhode Island's history, it carries with it terrible connotations when considering our nation's tragic and racist history," Metz said.

Previous attempts to change the name of the state failed after the question was put to the vote. In 2010, nearly 78% of voters opposed a constitutional amendment to exclude Providence Plantations from the state name.

A recent nudge may have begun when an online petition began to circulate on the web after the death of George Floyd.

“Some Rhode Islanders are proud to live in the 'smallest state with the longest name.' But the story of how we got this name is often forgotten,” the petition says. The petition currently has nearly 7500 signatures.

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