Taxacom: botanical names with racist history

[Frank T. Krell]

Changing words does not automatically mean changing attitudes. Changing attitudes is the important issue.
Frank


Dr. Frank-Thorsten Krell

Senior Curator of Entomology, Editor-in-Chief
Commissioner and Councillor, International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature
Department of Zoology
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
2001 Colorado Blvd
Denver, Colorado 80205-5798, U.S.A.
Frank.krell at dmns.org
Phone 303.370.8244
Fax 303.331.6492
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-----Original Message-----
From: Taxacom <taxacom-bounces at lists.ku.edu> On Behalf Of Jeremy Bruhl via Taxacom
Sent: Sunday, July 21, 2024 10:41 PM
To: taxacom <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
Subject: Re: Taxacom: botanical names with racist history

Dear John

Words master and can hurt deeply. The action taken is measured and reasonable.

Cheers,  Jeremy

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________________________________
From: Taxacom <taxacom-bounces at lists.ku.edu> on behalf of John Grehan via Taxacom <taxacom at lists.ku.edu>
Sent: Monday, July 22, 2024 5:58:23 am
To: taxacom <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
Subject: Taxacom: botanical names with racist history

Statements below from a web site. Can any botanist on Taxacom comment further on this?

Scientists have voted to eliminate the names of certain plants that are deemed to be racially offensive. The decision to remove a label that contains such a slur was taken last week after a gruelling six-day session attended by more than 100 researchers, as part of the International Botanical Congress, which officially opens on Sunday in Madrid.

The effect of the vote will be that all plants, fungi and algae names that contain the word *caffra*, which originates in insults made against Black people, will be replaced by the word *affra* to denote their African origins. More than 200 species will be affected, including the coast coral tree, which will be known as *Erythrina affra* instead of *Erythrina caffra* .

The scientists attending the nomenclature session also agreed to create a special committee which would rule on names given to newly discovered plants, fungi and algae. These are usually named by those who first describe them in the scientific literature. However, the names could now be overruled by the committee if they are deemed to be derogatory to a group or race

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Nurturing nuance while assailing ambiguity for about 37 years, 1987-2024.



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Nurturing nuance while assailing ambiguity for about 37 years, 1987-2024.


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