Rhode Island is moving toward changing its official name — “The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations” — due to its slavery connotations.
And last week, the Rhode Island Legislature signaled it will move forward with state Senate legislation to get a referendum on the name change on the November ballot.
“Whatever the meaning of the term ‘plantations’ in the context of Rhode Island’s history, it carries a horrific connotation when considering the tragic and racist history of our nation,” Metts said in a statement last week, according to the Providence Journal.
“I urge the voters to approve the name change in November but will take all measures now that are within my control to eliminate the name from my official communications and those of my executive agencies,” she said in the order.
But previous efforts to modify Rhode Island’s name have been unsuccessful, with nearly 78 percent of voters opposing removing “Providence Plantations” from the name in 2010.