iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Reuben Rose-Redwood @reubenroseredwood.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

This week, I had the pleasure of being interviewed for an article in the newsletter of @therestpolitics.bsky.social podcast on Trump's efforts to rewrite the world map through place renaming. Check it out! mailchi.mp/8d2beefae7ea... @uvicgeography.bsky.social

mailchi.mp

Rewriting the Map: Presidents & Names

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I-NAME Coalition @i-name.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

“The removal of Trump place names in the U.S. and around the world is a real possibility once his second term ends. But doing so will likely require a deliberate bureaucratic and political struggle rather than simply flipping a switch.” theconversation.com/place-name-p...

theconversation.com

Place-name politics: Why renaming streets named Trump requires more than just outrage

Renaming Ottawa’s Trump Avenue is part of a long history of cities engaging in “toponymic diplomacy.”

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I-NAME Coalition @i-name.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Looking for a place naming activity to bring to your classroom? The Oklahoma Alliance for Geographic Education (OKAGE) has developed the following resource that explores place renamings in Asia. Thanks to the @NCGE for sharing this! okageweb.org/new-blog/loc...

okageweb.org

Location Name Changes in Asia - Updated 2026 — OKAGE

Description: In this lesson, students will investigate name changes of locations in Asia. They will be able to understand why location names change and apply this knowledge to current events and issu...

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I-NAME Coalition @i-name.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

“While companies may wish to avoid angering President Trump and his supporters ... other companies may realise a commercial advantage with keeping the name Lake Ontario and attracting customers who refuse to patronise a business using Lake America.”

channelnewsasia.com

CNA Explains: Lake America to Department of War – Trump-era name changes and why they matter

Presidential orders can change official US usage, but they cannot dictate what the rest of the world calls a place. Still, adoption by influential players such as Google and Apple could drive wider ac...

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I-NAME Coalition @i-name.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

"Although map tech companies appear on the surface to be simply about delivering the latest and most accurate geographic information, they are actually deeply involved in the politics of representing the earth and shaping whose histories and identities are given visibility and legitimacy on maps.”

nytimes.com

Map Apps Are Handling Trump’s Renaming of Lake Ontario to Lake America Differently

Navigation companies face a new dilemma after President Trump ordered Lake Ontario to be renamed Lake America.

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The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 29/08/2026

Lake Ontario ➡️ Lake America? A geographer explains the politics and procedures behind renaming lakes, seas, and mountains:

theconversation.com

Lake Ontario to Lake America – who gets to decide what goes on maps?

A geographer explains the politics and procedures behind renaming American places.

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I-NAME Coalition @i-name.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

“I believe the name change, because of the way it is being carried out in such an abrupt, unilateral and vitriolic way… could likely damage the United States’s ability to negotiate, given how much the Lake America mandate is inflaming opinions and defensive posture anxieties in Canada.”

aljazeera.com

Can Trump really rename Lake Ontario, ‘Lake America’?

Amid tariff war with Canada, Trump has signed an executive order renaming the shared lake.

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Reuben Rose-Redwood @reubenroseredwood.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Place renaming as rage baiting? "Trump’s threat to rename Lake Ontario is pure rage bait aimed at stoking anger among Canadians while distracting Americans from the fact that Trump overplayed his hand in the trade negotiations with Canada." www.newsweek.com/trump-says-u...

newsweek.com

Trump says US considering renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America

Trump's remarks come amid a deepening cross-border trade feud that has increasingly centered on Ontario Premier Doug Ford.

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I-NAME Coalition @i-name.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Within the I-NAME Coalition, we understood the significance of place names and the power a place renaming exerts for the communities that are affected most. Should place names serve as bartering chips in petty politics? #INAME

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I-NAME Coalition @i-name.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Further examples of Trump’s topographic and material narcissism continue. www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

theatlantic.com

Trump Is Putting His Face on Everything

The more you look, the more you see.

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I-NAME Coalition @i-name.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

"In a time of personality-driven politics, public spaces, it seems, can be used not just for commemoration but also for branding, power, and shaping a personal legacy." www.rte.ie/news/analysi...

rte.ie

What's in a name? Florida airport renamed for Trump

Palm Beach International Airport is set to get a new name and call sign - move over PBI, here comes DJT.

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Derek H. Alderman @derekgeographer.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

At a time when geographic names are turned into political weapons, we need principled frameworks that are participatory, research-driven, reparative, & paired with education. New piece w/Christine K. Johnson on Reconciliation in Place Names @utkgeography.bsky.social escholarship.org/uc/item/4tp6...

escholarship.org

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I-NAME Coalition @i-name.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

“The fact that Nauru’s original name was shaped by outsiders’ inability or unwillingness to pronounce ‘Naoero’ properly reflects a clear power imbalance that the country is now interested in rectifying.”

nytimes.com

This Pacific Island Nation Hopes You Will Call It by a New Name

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I-NAME Coalition @i-name.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

Congratulations to I-NAME Founder @derekgeographer.bsky.social and I-NAME member @reubenroseredwood.bsky.social for another great op-ed article addressing in this era of "toponymic narcissism"! thehill.com/opinion/whit...

thehill.com

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Derek H. Alderman @derekgeographer.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

Trump Steaks, Trump University, Trump International Airport? This Has to Stop. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/o...

nytimes.com

Opinion | Trump Steaks, Trump University, Trump International Airport? This Has to Stop.

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I-NAME Coalition @i-name.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

"He was not simply changing the name. He was actually enacting a different worldview..." Kudos to @derekgeographer.bsky.social for contributing remarks for another national news piece on place renaming! www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

usatoday.com

The Gulf of What? Has Trump's name change caught on?

It's been a year since President Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. We asked people along its shores what they actually call it.

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Reuben Rose-Redwood @reubenroseredwood.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

A sign of the times: toponymic narcissism and political tribute-paying. That about sums up Trump's conception of geography. It's always a delight to contribute to public dialogue with @derekgeographer.bsky.social www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

usatoday.com

What's in a name? Plenty, when that name is 'Trump.'

'Toponymic narcissism' describes someone's obsession with naming things after themselves. Trump's name now seems to be everywhere.

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Derek H. Alderman @derekgeographer.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

Communities don’t choose names by accident. Honoring Lincoln is a way for places to weave themselves into a larger American story. Our place names reflect who we elevate, why, & to what political ends. Thanks @bridgemi.com for the interview bridgemi.com/quality-life... @utkgeography.bsky.social

bridgemi.com

Honestly, how many places are named after Abe Lincoln? In Michigan, a lot - Bridge Michigan

President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, launching a November tradition. It was also tradition to name municipalities, schools and roads after Lincoln.

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Derek H. Alderman @derekgeographer.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

Now Trump trying to rename the Persian Gulf the 'Arabian Gulf.' Iranian-Canadian human rights activist Nazanin Afshin-Jam MacKay says. "He can spin words and rename bodies of water for political and economic gain but he can’t rewrite 2,500 years of history." www.rawstory.com/trump-arabia...

rawstory.com

'Bring the wrath': Trump triggers furious reaction with 'Arabian Gulf' plan

President Donald Trump reportedly plans to announce during his upcoming trip to the Middle East that the United States will no longer recognize the Persian Gulf, instead renaming it as the "Arabian Gu...

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Derek H. Alderman @derekgeographer.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

Odessa, Texas approves MLK Jr. Street renaming in historic community. Past efforts to rename larger portion of street faced opposition. Resident who lived under Jim Crow says the street will be a reminder of how far the community has come and how much work remains. www.newswest9.com/article/news...

newswest9.com

Odessa City Council approves MLK Jr. Street renaming in historic community

A major Odessa street will soon carry the name of one of America’s most iconic civil rights leaders.

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Derek H. Alderman @derekgeographer.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

Elaine Brown, former Black Panther, may get her own Oakland street name. Named road intersection in West Oakland is the site of an apartment building and commercial hub that Brown’s nonprofit, Oakland & The World Enterprises, built last year. oaklandside.org/2025/03/28/e...

oaklandside.org

Elaine Brown, former Black Panther, may get her own Oakland street name

The city wants to rename the intersection of 7th and Campbell streets after the activist and real estate developer.

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Derek H. Alderman @derekgeographer.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

Are Florida’s Confederate statues & place names coming back? Trump orders restoration of monuments. Unclear how much power Secretary of the Interior can exert at local level, but it will surely inspire or scare officials into compliance. #ReConfederatization www.jacksonville.com/story/news/p...

jacksonville.com

Are Florida’s Confederate statues coming back? Trump orders restoration of monuments

President Trump has ordered monuments removed or changed for "ideological" reasons to be restored. How will this affect Florida's Confederate statues?

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The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 28/03/2025

Greenland to "Red, White, and Blueland"? The Gulf of Mexico to "Gulf of America"? #Geography scholars explore the contentious world of geopolitical rebranding - and what it does to our psyches. buff.ly/DXrbKcc #polisky

buff.ly

From Greenland to Fort Bragg, America is caught in a name game where place names become political tools

Rewriting the map can influence the public psyche in ways subtle and not so subtle.

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Derek H. Alderman @derekgeographer.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

How do you like Vaccine Drive, Radiography Road, or Laboratory Place? Glasgow, Scotland councillors ridiculed over "creative" street name ideas for housing estate. Meant to honor site's history as former hospital, but caused an outbreak of criticism. www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/...

thetimes.com

Glasgow councillors ridiculed over ‘silly’ new street names

Radiography Road and Virology Grove also suggested for roads on the site of a former hospital, but locals mocked Glasgow council’s ‘creative’ plans

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Setholopolis @sethographer.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

@i-name.bsky.social This place naming takeover has gone beyond unserious. Are we sure this isn’t a prank, or an article from The Onion? www.thedailybeast.com/new-gop-bill...

thedailybeast.com

GOP Bill Would Let Trump Rename Greenland ‘Red, White and Blueland’

Great news, folks.

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Derek H. Alderman @derekgeographer.bsky.social · 09/02/2025

@i-name.bsky.social The Place Name Reform Rollback Begins! Army to consider changing Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg. One option to play a "name game," identifying base not with Confederate but WWII Silver Star Recipient Roland Bragg--using brave man's name as pawn www.nbcnews.com/politics/nat...

nbcnews.com

Army considering changing name of Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg

President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have both criticized a 2021 law that banned the naming of military bases after confederate generals.

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Derek H. Alderman @derekgeographer.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

New Zealand just granted personhood to mountain long identified as sacred to Māori. Major implications for naming natural features to maintain indigenous identity rather than treated as possession of political leaders. Instructive for USA & MAGA rewriting of place names www.npr.org/2025/01/31/n...

npr.org

A New Zealand mountain is granted personhood, recognizing it as sacred for Māori

The recognition acknowledges the mountain's theft from the Māori after New Zealand was colonized. It fulfills an agreement from the country's government to Indigenous people.

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Derek H. Alderman @derekgeographer.bsky.social · 18/01/2025

"As a photographer interested in the quiet power held within the lives of everyday people, I wanted to see beyond the studies and statistics of [MLK] thoroughfares." See photos from Chicago, Houston, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Orlando, and DC" www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-... @i-name.bsky.social

smithsonianmag.com

These 15 Photos Show the People and Places of American Streets Named After Martin Luther King Jr.

On a journey to six cities across the country over the course of seven years, a photographer captured images of the roads that bear the civil rights leader’s name

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UTK Geography & Sustainability @utkgeography.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

Professor Derek Alderman @derekgeographer.bsky.social provides insight on the connections between place names, identity, and power in response to suggestions that the Gulf of Mexico be renamed. 👉 Read the article from the Washington Times: www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/ja...

washingtontimes.com

Whose gulf is it anyway? Mexico has a longer shoreline, but policing is all American

President-elect Donald Trump’s demand that Gulf of Mexico get a new, more American has sparked a feverish debate over who gets to name geography and when it should be changed.

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CNN @cnn.com · 13/01/2025

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, has voiced strong opposition to removing the names of Confederate generals from US military bases, repeatedly saying the names should be changed back: cnn.it/3WiuMXM

cnn.com

Defense pick Pete Hegseth repeatedly criticized removing names of Confederate generals from US bases | CNN Politics

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Derek H. Alderman @derekgeographer.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

Place names may seem simple, but they carry deep meaning & controversy. Renaming Gulf of Mexico to 'Gulf of America' could spark global tension, significant costs & nationalist worldview. Is it worth it? Thanks @eenews.bsky.social for chance to contribute www.eenews.net/articles/how...

eenews.net

How Trump could get his ‘Gulf of America’

The president-elect could spur a name change. The world could ignore it.

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Derek H. Alderman @derekgeographer.bsky.social · 30/12/2024

NYC Audubon Picks New Name (Bird Alliance), Distancing from Audubon's Harmful Views & Actions Toward BIPOC. Org says: "That harm continues today, presenting a barrier to people who might otherwise become involved in or support our work.” @i-name.bsky.social www.msn.com/en-us/money/...

msn.com

MSN

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Derek H. Alderman @derekgeographer.bsky.social · 29/12/2024

Scranton GOP rally calls to remove Biden's name from local roads following his commutation of Michael Conahan's sentence—the danger of naming places for living figures. People's legacies are fluid and impacted by future controversial actions & public backlash www.citizensvoice.com/2024/12/28/r...

citizensvoice.com

Residents call for renaming of President Biden Expressway, Biden Street

SCRANTON – Lackawanna and Luzerne County Republicans rallied on Courthouse Square Saturday with a message for government officials, “Get Joe Biden’s name off our local roadways.&#…

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Derek H. Alderman @derekgeographer.bsky.social · 17/12/2024

"The current gender gap in street names is staggering....[C]all upon the toponymy commissions of our cities to take...action to ensure underrepresented figures and their invaluable contributions are acknowledged in our urban space.” bigthink.com/strange-maps...

bigthink.com

Can you guess who it is? Collectively, however, streets named after men outnumber those named after women ten to one.

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Derek H. Alderman @derekgeographer.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

Kitimat council rejected Haisla Nation's request to rename streets honoring missionaries associated with residential school history. Haisla framed renaming as a step toward recognition and healing and proposed new names reflective of tribal traditions. www.northernsentinel.com/local-news/k...

northernsentinel.com

Kitimat council rejects Haisla Nation’s request to rename streets

Pitzel alleges Haisla chief issued warning over ties if renaming rejected

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Derek H. Alderman @derekgeographer.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

Tallahassee renaming part of Pasco Street for trailblazing Anita Davis, late civil rights pioneer & county's first Black woman commissioner. City filling an important void in America's memory landscapes--the recognition of women of color. tallahassee.com/story/news/l...

tallahassee.com

Tallahassee renaming part of Pasco Street for trailblazing county commissioner Anita Davis

She led initiatives that included building parks in Woodville, the Southside library branch and a Southside health clinic.

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