Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty/ChaseRokitt
Residents in Ohio are bitterly divided over a proposed name change for a national forest that dons the moniker of an American revolutionary leader, who many also accused of being problematic due to his participation in the genocide of Indigenous Americans.
On Aug. 21, the USDA Forest Service announced a possible name change to the Wayne National Forest, Ohio’s only national forest which is located in the southeastern quadrant of the state.
“[Taking away Anthony Wayne’s name is] not erasing history at all,” John Washco of the American Indian Movement (AIM) of Ohio told The Daily Beast. “[Keeping his name] would show either a lack of compassion or ignorance… of not knowing the true history. People that feel that way only want to accept a small portion of the history.”