Last week, ten members of Congress wrote to Dan Snyder, owner of the Washington Redskins.
Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Arizona), Zoe Lofgren (D-California), Michael M. Honda (D-California), Barbara Lee (D-California), Gwen Moore (D-Wisconsin), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Donna M. Christensen (D-Virginia), and Eni F.H. Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa) signed a letter urging him to change the team name. The effort was headed by Betty McCollum (D-Minnesota) and Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma), chairs of the Congressional Native American Caucus.
What did they say?
Among other things, the authors said:
"Native Americans throughout the country consider the R-word a racial, derogatory slur akin to the N-word among African Americans or the W-word among Latinos. Such offensive epithets would no doubt draw widespread disapproval among the NFL’s fan base. Yet the national coverage of Washington’s NFL football team profits from a term that is equally disparaging to Native Americans...The current Chairman and Chief of the Penobscot Nation, Chief Kirk Francis, recently stated in a joint statement that the [R-word] is ‘not just a racial slur or a derogatory term,’ but a painful ‘reminder of one of the most gruesome acts of . . . ethnic cleansing ever committed against the Penobscot people.’ The hunting and killing of Penobscot Indians like animals, as declared by Chief Francis, was ‘a most despicable and disgraceful act of genocide'... In this day and age, it is imperative that you uphold your moral responsibility to disavow the usage of racial slurs...We look forward to working with you to find a solution to this important matter."
(Preach.)
Snyder's response?
Snyder told USA Today, "We'll never change the name. It's that simple. NEVER - you can use caps." He continued, "As a lifelong Redskins fan, and I think the Redskins fans understand the great tradition and what it's all about and what it means, so we feel pretty fortunate to be just working on next season."
Too bad support for the team name went down from 89 percent to 79 percent over the past generation. And we're sure the lack of support is growing.
Furthermore, the Native American Finance Officers Association, the Tulsa Indian Coalition Against Racism, the American Indian Movement West, and the United South and Eastern Tribes oppose the use of the term as negative, hurtful, and past due for a name change.
And so do we - duh! Why is there even a question as to whether this is offensive? It's 2013. (All one-eighths of my Blackfoot people are offended and will continue to be offended. And so are all seven-eighths of my Mestiza people.)
Too bad support for the team name went down from 89 percent to 79 percent over the past generation. And we're sure the lack of support is growing.
Furthermore, the Native American Finance Officers Association, the Tulsa Indian Coalition Against Racism, the American Indian Movement West, and the United South and Eastern Tribes oppose the use of the term as negative, hurtful, and past due for a name change.
And so do we - duh! Why is there even a question as to whether this is offensive? It's 2013. (All one-eighths of my Blackfoot people are offended and will continue to be offended. And so are all seven-eighths of my Mestiza people.)
Never say never, sir.
(Note to DMV/NOVA children of the 1990s: Remember when the Bullets became the Washington Wizards because of the violent undertones of the team name? Hey! Wasn't that a good idea?)
Shut it down, Snyder.
Read more here.
