Negro Creek runs for 6.5 miles south of 151st Street, through parts of Overland Park and Leawood, but few people knew its name until the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. An informal committee that included members of the NAACP and other community groups began exploring the creek's origin but couldn't agree on an alternative name for the creek.
Some new names suggested by residents included Freedom Creek and Hope Creek. Other respondents said changing the name would be bowing to "wokeness" and "cancel culture."