Illustration by Rowan Jansen

In the past few years, many schools, lakes and statues have gotten rid of their names, or the names have been altered due to the offensive history that goes along with them. For example, Lake Calhoun, a lake in Minneapolis, had its name changed to Bde Maka Ska. Then, in 2020, a statue of Christopher Columbus was taken down at the Minnesota capital during a protest. The Echo Editorial Board believes these name changes and removals are essential and important to being sensitive and holding one another accountable for previous mistakes.

The Echo Editorial Board believes changing the names of many different places is beneficial, and in no way an erasure of history. While some believe that changing these names erases important history, the Board begs to differ. The Board believes that by removing glorification and understanding why some people shouldn’t be honored will help society be more educated and more forward in a healthy way. Instead of denying history, the Board believes that history should be looked at in the right ways, in ways that don’t honor those who do not deserve to be honored—for example, Christopher Columbus. The Board believes while it is important to recognize who he was, we must also recognize the terrible things he did. In doing so, we can also replace statues and monuments of him with more culturally sensitive things. By updating names, history is being acknowledged and corrected. The Board believes these name changes don’t necessarily excuse the lack of doing so before, but can serve as a way to empathize and attempt to make amends with those who the previous names had hurt.

While the changes of names and statue removals are an essential step to take, the Board believes there should be more of an emphasis on the why. When changing names, there are many times when the reason is almost unknown. This causes confusion, and for people not to respect the change. With the proper recognition of the reason for these changes, people are more likely to respect the changes and educate others on the importance. The Board believes with the right information and pushes behind this “why,” more people will be able to see the benefit of this. The Echo Editorial Board believes when it comes to taking down statues and other monuments, things that are culturally appropriate but also bring awareness to the truth about whoever the previous name or statue recognized should be there. When a statue is removed it should be replaced with something new that honors the communities the previous statue hurt.

While the Board believes that the name changes are important, they often do go unnoticed. The Board thinks that more newspapers and stations should make note when and why a name is changed, and believes if more people were aware, these changes could do more good. When Lake Calhoun was first renamed, several members of the Board stated that they were not sure why this change was made. 

The Echo Editorial Board unanimously agrees that name changes are beneficial for those previously harmed and is a good way for society to move forward while recognizing previous mistakes. Overtime, these changes will not allow people who don’t deserve recognition to get it, and hopefully these changes will continue to force schools, lakes and other important places to hold one another accountable for this.