Wichita street with ‘offensive’ name gets new name

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — There is a small stretch of road in a west Wichita neighborhood that is named Squaw Lane, but not for much longer.

At Tuesday’s Wichita City Council meeting, the Council voted to rename Delano Avenue.

The road is 357 feet long and intersects with Maize Road, just north of Central Avenue. It was platted in the Toh-N-Hah Village Addition.

The City of Wichita Diversity, Inclusion and Civil Rights Advisory Board requested the name change due to the sensitivity of the word “squaw.” Merriam-Webster Dictionary calls the word “offensive,” “dated,” and “disparaging.”

Council Member Bryan Frye said it is the first time in his eight years on the Council that someone has requested a street name change. He asked City staff to explain the process.

“I wanted to make sure that we had a fair and deliberate process that was conducted to ensure that everyone affected was treated the same,” he said.

J.R. Cox with the Metropolitan Area Planning Department said the process is relatively simple and involves four steps.

The Wichita-Sedgwick County Street Naming Committee reviews any requests for street name changes.

If it is recommended that a name be changed, an application is filed with the Metropolitan Area Planning Department.

MAPD notifies affected residents, schedules a subdivision committee hearing and prepares a staff report.

If the subdivision committee approves the change, it is forwarded to the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission and an ordinance is prepared and sent to the City Council for approval.

Frye said he wants people to know a lot of consideration goes into it.

“This isn’t something that we go into lightly,” he said. “Name changes don’t happen very often. This was brought to my attention last November, and now we’re into May, so it took about seven months.”

Frye said there was plenty of time for people to weigh in on the topic. He said the Diversity and Inclusion and Civil Rights Board looked at it. In addition, the District Five Advisory Board discussed it Monday night. He said he also contacted the Mid-America All-Indian Museum and the Native American Indian Youth Education Program at USD 259.

“Every step of the way, the consensus was the same — that it was time to change the name because the word itself narrows the connotation to all women of Native American heritage,” Frye said.

The City said there are only two lots that have Squaw Lane addresses. Those residents have been notified. City staff will notify utilities and the post office, but the residents may still have some inconvenience.

“But it’s temporary … whereas a street name should be lasting and something that should be inviting to all residents of Wichita,” Frye said.

Mayor Brandon Whipple agreed with Frye and thanked him for his work on the issue.

“I appreciate the council member’s efforts to ensure that we create a Wichita for all, including those who … perhaps weren’t thought of when this road was named.”

Frye then made a motion for the Council to approve the name change. The Council approved the name change on a vote of 7-0.