Federal board votes to rename Georgia’s ‘Runaway Negro Creek’ to ‘Freedom Creek’

A federal body has voted to rename the “Runaway Negro Creek” in Georgia to “Freedom Creek” following backlash over the original name.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Monday that the U.S. Board of Geographic Names voted Thursday to change the name of the creek, which is 1.5 miles long. The board is tasked with maintaining “uniform geographic name usage,” according to its website.

{mosads}According to the Journal-Constitution, opponents of the previous name said it was insensitive. The newspaper noted that Democratic state Sen. Lester Jackson had pushed to have the name changed.

Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) applauded the decision to rename the creek in a statement to the newspaper.

“The previous name has no place in our society,” Carter said. “I am very glad our community came together at the local, state and federal levels to make this happen.”