I-NAME Initiative

Congratulations to I-NAME Founder @derekgeographer.bsky.social and I-NAME member @reubenroseredwood.bsky.social for another great op-ed article addressing in this era of "toponymic narcissism"!

thehill.com/opinion/whit...

TrumpRx, Trump Kennedy Center, Trump National Parks passes − government free speech allows the president to name things after himself The law is on Trump’s side, in most cases, when his administration names things after him. But citizens still have the right to protest.

theconversation.com/trumprx-trum...

Opinion | Trump Steaks, Trump University, Trump International Airport? This Has to Stop.

Trump Steaks, Trump University, Trump International Airport? This Has to Stop. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/o...

The Gulf of What? Has Trump's name change caught on? It's been a year since President Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. We asked people along its shores what they actually call it.

"He was not simply changing the name. He was actually enacting a different worldview..."

Kudos to @derekgeographer.bsky.social for contributing remarks for another national news piece on place renaming!

www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

A sign of the times: toponymic narcissism and political tribute-paying. That about sums up Trump's conception of geography. It's always a delight to contribute to public dialogue with @derekgeographer.bsky.social www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

Symbolism isn’t enough: What Tennessee’s MLK streets reveal about investment and power • Tennessee Lookout The naming of streets in Tennessee for Rev. Martin Luther King has come about through the activism of Black leaders.

tennesseelookout.com/2026/01/19/s...

Honestly, how many places are named after Abe Lincoln? In Michigan, a lot - Bridge Michigan President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, launching a November tradition. It was also tradition to name municipalities, schools and roads after Lincoln.

Communities don’t choose names by accident. Honoring Lincoln is a way for places to weave themselves into a larger American story. Our place names reflect who we elevate, why, & to what political ends. Thanks @bridgemi.com for the interview bridgemi.com/quality-life... @utkgeography.bsky.social

Bill would make Florida colleges, universities rename streets after Charlie Kirk A new bill would make all of Florida's public state universities and colleges rename one roadway on their campuses after Charlie Kirk.

A new bill would make all of Florida's public state universities and colleges rename one roadway on their campuses after Charlie Kirk.

Florida bill would require universities to rename streets in honor of Charlie Kirk If the bill passes and the schools don’t change the names, they could lose state funding.

www.tampabay.com/news/educati...

'Bring the wrath': Trump triggers furious reaction with 'Arabian Gulf' plan President Donald Trump reportedly plans to announce during his upcoming trip to the Middle East that the United States will no longer recognize the Persian Gulf, instead renaming it as the "Arabian Gu...

Now Trump trying to rename the Persian Gulf the 'Arabian Gulf.' Iranian-Canadian human rights activist Nazanin Afshin-Jam MacKay says. "He can spin words and rename bodies of water for political and economic gain but he can’t rewrite 2,500 years of history." www.rawstory.com/trump-arabia...

Odessa City Council approves MLK Jr. Street renaming in historic community A major Odessa street will soon carry the name of one of America’s most iconic civil rights leaders.

Odessa, Texas approves MLK Jr. Street renaming in historic community. Past efforts to rename larger portion of street faced opposition. Resident who lived under Jim Crow says the street will be a reminder of how far the community has come and how much work remains.
www.newswest9.com/article/news...

Are Florida’s Confederate statues coming back? Trump orders restoration of monuments President Trump has ordered monuments removed or changed for "ideological" reasons to be restored. How will this affect Florida's Confederate statues?

Are Florida’s Confederate statues & place names coming back? Trump orders restoration of monuments. Unclear how much power Secretary of the Interior can exert at local level, but it will surely inspire or scare officials into compliance. #ReConfederatization www.jacksonville.com/story/news/p...

Elaine Brown, former Black Panther, may get her own Oakland street name The city wants to rename the intersection of 7th and Campbell streets after the activist and real estate developer.

Elaine Brown, former Black Panther, may get her own Oakland street name. Named road intersection in West Oakland is the site of an apartment building and commercial hub that Brown’s nonprofit, Oakland & The World Enterprises, built last year. oaklandside.org/2025/03/28/e...

From Greenland to Fort Bragg, America is caught in a name game where place names become political tools Rewriting the map can influence the public psyche in ways subtle and not so subtle.

@us.theconversation.com showcased Seth Kannar and Derek Alderman's work on what place names and renaming tell us about power. theconversation.com/from-greenla... #edusky #geosky

@derekgeographer.bsky.social @macalestercollege.bsky.social

From Greenland to Fort Bragg, America is caught in a name game where place names become political tools Rewriting the map can influence the public psyche in ways subtle and not so subtle.

Greenland to "Red, White, and Blueland"? The Gulf of Mexico to "Gulf of America"? #Geography scholars explore the contentious world of geopolitical rebranding - and what it does to our psyches. buff.ly/DXrbKcc #polisky

From Greenland to Fort Bragg, America is caught in a name game where place names become political tools Rewriting the map can influence the public psyche in ways subtle and not so subtle.

theconversation.com/from-greenla...

Glasgow councillors ridiculed over ‘silly’ new street names Radiography Road and Virology Grove also suggested for roads on the site of a former hospital, but locals mocked Glasgow council’s ‘creative’ plans

How do you like Vaccine Drive, Radiography Road, or Laboratory Place? Glasgow, Scotland councillors ridiculed over "creative" street name ideas for housing estate. Meant to honor site's history as former hospital, but caused an outbreak of criticism. www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/...

The Heartwarming and Cynical Story of Fort Bragg's New Old Name North Carolina's biggest military base is switching back to its former moniker. Sort of. Here's the story of a loophole in the law and an obscure soldier who committed an amazing act of bravery.

The Heartwarming and Cynical Story of Fort Bragg's New Old Name
www.ncrabbithole.com/p/fort-rolan...

GOP Bill Would Let Trump Rename Greenland ‘Red, White and Blueland’ Great news, folks.

@i-name.bsky.social This place naming takeover has gone beyond unserious. Are we sure this isn’t a prank, or an article from The Onion?

www.thedailybeast.com/new-gop-bill...

WATCH: Trump declares Feb. 9 'Gulf of America Day' on flight to Super Bowl President Donald Trump signed a proclamation declaring Feb. 9 “the first ever Gulf of America Day" as Air Force One flew over the body of water that he ordered to be renamed from the Gulf of Mexico. T...

The place naming takeover continues.

Army considering changing name of Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have both criticized a 2021 law that banned the naming of military bases after confederate generals.

@i-name.bsky.social The Place Name Reform Rollback Begins! Army to consider changing Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg. One option to play a "name game," identifying base not with Confederate but WWII Silver Star Recipient Roland Bragg--using brave man's name as pawn www.nbcnews.com/politics/nat...

A New Zealand mountain is granted personhood, recognizing it as sacred for Māori The recognition acknowledges the mountain's theft from the Māori after New Zealand was colonized. It fulfills an agreement from the country's government to Indigenous people.

New Zealand just granted personhood to mountain long identified as sacred to Māori. Major implications for naming natural features to maintain indigenous identity rather than treated as possession of political leaders. Instructive for USA & MAGA rewriting of place names
www.npr.org/2025/01/31/n...

Can Trump just order new names for Denali and the Gulf of Mexico? A geographer explains who decides what goes on the map How do place names get made and then changed? There’s a process. But it involves people as well as bureaucracy, so it’s not simple or quick, as President Trump is about to find out.

Can Trump just order new names for Denali and the Gulf of Mexico? A geographer explains who decides what goes on the map: https://buff.ly/3PPkElK (Innisfree McKinnon, University of Wisconsin-Stout) #geography #cartography 🗃️

These 15 Photos Show the People and Places of American Streets Named After Martin Luther King Jr. On a journey to six cities across the country over the course of seven years, a photographer captured images of the roads that bear the civil rights leader’s name

"As a photographer interested in the quiet power held within the lives of everyday people, I wanted to see beyond the studies and statistics of [MLK] thoroughfares." See photos from Chicago, Houston, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Orlando, and DC" www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-... @i-name.bsky.social

Whose gulf is it anyway? Mexico has a longer shoreline, but policing is all American President-elect Donald Trump’s demand that Gulf of Mexico get a new, more American has sparked a feverish debate over who gets to name geography and when it should be changed.

Professor Derek Alderman @derekgeographer.bsky.social provides insight on the connections between place names, identity, and power in response to suggestions that the Gulf of Mexico be renamed.

👉 Read the article from the Washington Times:
www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/ja...

Defense pick Pete Hegseth repeatedly criticized removing names of Confederate generals from US bases | CNN Politics Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, has voiced strong opposition to removing the names of Confederate generals from US military bases, repeatedly saying the nam...

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, has voiced strong opposition to removing the names of Confederate generals from US military bases, repeatedly saying the names should be changed back: cnn.it/3WiuMXM

How Trump could get his ‘Gulf of America’ The president-elect could spur a name change. The world could ignore it.

Place names may seem simple, but they carry deep meaning & controversy. Renaming Gulf of Mexico to 'Gulf of America' could spark global tension, significant costs & nationalist worldview. Is it worth it? Thanks @eenews.bsky.social for chance to contribute www.eenews.net/articles/how...

NYC Audubon Picks New Name (Bird Alliance), Distancing from Audubon's Harmful Views & Actions Toward BIPOC. Org says: "That harm continues today, presenting a barrier to people who might otherwise become involved in or support our work.” @i-name.bsky.social
www.msn.com/en-us/money/...

Residents call for renaming of President Biden Expressway, Biden Street SCRANTON – Lackawanna and Luzerne County Republicans rallied on Courthouse Square Saturday with a message for government officials, “Get Joe Biden’s name off our local roadways.&#…

Scranton GOP rally calls to remove Biden's name from local roads following his commutation of Michael Conahan's sentence—the danger of naming places for living figures. People's legacies are fluid and impacted by future controversial actions & public backlash www.citizensvoice.com/2024/12/28/r...

Trump wants to change the name of Denali back to Mount McKinley Alaska’s two Republican U.S. senators, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, immediately pushed back, saying they support the Koyukon Athabascan place name for the mountain long favored by many Alaskans.

www.adn.com/politics/202...