Texas Can’t Let Go of ‘Negro’

Topozone

NPR has dug up a story that contains these elements: ingrained Texas racism, racially pejorative names assigned to geographical features, a weird twist in federal beaurocracy and a clear lack of desire to rectify an ongoing racist practice.

In 1991 when then-Gov. Ann Richards signed a bill authorizing changing the names of 19 sites across Texas that were considered racially insulting to Blacks, everyone thought that was the end of it. They even submitted substitute names that celebrated African Americans who had made significant contributions to the state.

But in the 30 years since, only one of the 19 cliffs, rivers, creeks and valleys with the word “negro” in its name was changed. The other geographical features were not renamed due to local resistance and the limits of federal jurisdiction.

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McConnell Acknowledges Biden-Harris Win

“Our system of government has processes to determine who will be sworn in on Jan. 20. The Electoral College has spoken. … So today I want to congratulate President-Elect Joe Biden. The president-elect is no stranger to the Senate. He’s devoted himself to public service for many years. … I also want to congratulate the vice president-elect, our colleague from California — Sen. Harris. Beyond our differences, all Americans can take pride that our nation has a female vice president-elect for the very first time.”

— Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on the Senate floor, per the New York Times.

Biden Wins Electoral College with 302 Votes

302

By casting their electoral votes, California’s electors pushed Joe Biden’s tally to 302 — well above the 270 needed to win.
The final four electoral votes will be cast for Biden later tonight by Hawaii’s electors. Congress will meet on January 6 in a joint session to formally accept the results. The interactive electoral map shows the final tally.

What’s Next for Those Who Think Trump Won?

“What happens next is a critical question for American democracy. What will become of the belief that the 2020 presidential election was in some way illegitimate? Will it melt away along with Mr. Trump’s prospects for winning, and vanish completely when Mr. Biden is inaugurated? Or will it fester, nursed by Republicans in power, and metastasize into something that could be a rallying cry for nationalists for years to come?”

New York Times