Photo: Jim MacKay / WBZ News Radio
QUINCY (WBZNewsRadio) - The well known landmark at the end of the Squantum peninsula in Quincy has a new name, thanks to the federal government. What was once Squaw Rock will now be known as Nickerson Rock.
Last year, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland established a task force to remove racist and derogatory names from federal locations across the U.S. Haaland is a member of New Mexico's Laguna Pueblo and the first Native Americans to serve as a Cabinet secretary. Last year she issued an order formally designating "squaw" as a derogatory term and began the process to determine replacement names.
"I feel a deep obligation to use my platform to ensure that our public lands and waters are accessible and welcoming. That starts with removing racist and derogatory names that have graced federal locations for far too long,” Haaland said in a statement.
Nickerson rock marks the spot where Myles Standish landed in 1621 with Native American Squanto as his guide.
WBZ's Jim MacKay (@JimMacKayOnAir) reports
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