A French court announced on Thursday that the coastal city of Biarritz is required to change the name of its La Négresse historic district, which may have been named after a black woman. This decision follows a legal challenge from activists who contended that the name represents an outdated remnant of colonialism.
This ruling concludes a prolonged effort by activists to persuade local authorities to eliminate what they describe as “racist and sexist” names from the area.
The activists are advocating for the renaming of both the La Négresse district and a street in the city known as rue de la Negresse.
La Négresse translates to “negro woman” or “negress” in English, being the feminine form of the French term for negro (nègre).
In 2019, the association Mémoires et Partages, which addresses issues related to slavery and colonialism, urged Biarritz Mayor Maider Arosteguy to reconsider the use of these names.
After the town hall declined to act in 2020, the activists initiated legal action.
The district is thought to be named after a black woman, possibly a former slave, who operated an inn in the area during the 19th century.
Activists argue that the name is linked to a “crime against humanity” involving the forced deportation of millions of Africans to work as slaves on colonial plantations.
On Thursday, the Bordeaux administrative court of appeal ruled in favor of the association.
In its statement, the court noted that the name’s origin remains ambiguous.
It referenced historians who suggested that the neighborhood, previously known as “Harausta hamlet,” may have been named after a “very dark-skinned woman” who managed a local inn.
Other accounts attribute the name’s origin to a Gascon phrase related to the clay soil found in the area, according to the statement.
The court determined that, regardless of the name’s alleged origins, “the term ‘La Négresse’ currently carries a derogatory connotation regarding the racial background of a woman whose identity remains unspecified.”
Consequently, the term “is likely to diminish the dignity of individuals” and could be viewed “as offensive to those of African descent.”
Attorneys representing the association expressed their satisfaction.
“Changing the neighborhood’s name from ‘La Négresse’ was long overdue,” stated Colomba Grossi and William Bourdon.
Karfa Diallo, the association’s founder, celebrated the “landmark” decision.
“This represents a victory for republican principles,” he remarked, emphasizing the need to end “the trivialization of racism.”
He noted that the ruling holds additional significance as the building housing the court of appeal is also “imbued with the legacy of slavery and the slave trade.”
The Hotel Nairac was established in 1777 by a family from Bordeaux known for their involvement in the deportation of Africans to America, as stated by the association.
In 2023, a court in the nearby town of Pau initially denied the association’s appeal.
The previous decision acknowledged that the term had evolved “towards a pejorative connotation,” but concluded that the names could not be interpreted as “an affront to the principle of preserving human dignity.” The association subsequently filed an appeal.
Slavery in France and its colonies was abolished in 1848.
In 2001, France officially recognized the slave trade and slavery as crimes against humanity.
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