Codetalker stunt doesn't mollify "Redskins" critics

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/11/27/historic-collaboration-black-and-latino-leaders-joined-redskins-protest-152459

These critiques occurred before, during, and after the Redskins' codetalker stunt. From what I've seen, they reflect the ongoing opinion against the racist nickname. As far as I know, the codetalker stunt didn't change anyone's mind.

Redskins name condemned by black and Latino groups outside FedEx Field

By Theresa VargasThe news conference, attended by representatives of CASA of Maryland, Blacks in Government, the Prince George’s County chapter of the NAACP and other groups, marked a rare showing of solidarity on a divisive issue that has sparked a national discussion about race and language.

“This is an American issue,” Hakim Muhammad, of the Coalition of Prince George’s County Leaders and Organizations, said Monday. “When you have a name that is disparaging to any nation of people, it affects all of us. Period.”

Zorayda Moreira-Smith, of CASA of Maryland, said it was “unacceptable” and “disgusting” that this was still an issue in 2013. She questioned how people would react if the team’s name reflected a slur against any other race.

“That would not be okay,” she said. “That would cause a riot, chaos. Everyone would be upset. So, why is it okay when it’s called the Washington Redskins?”Historic Collaboration: Black and Latino Leaders Join ‘Redskins' ProtestThis protest before the Monday Night Football game came just days after the Fritz Pollard Alliance group released a statement urging players to stop using the N-word after two racially charged incidents, one involving a Redskins player. Some Native groups have used the N-word as a way of illustrating how offensive the R-word is.

Jay Winter Nightwolf, a local radio personality talked about the history of the word, which has been traced to when bounties were paid for the skins of American Indians.

Nightwolf and others are meeting with black leaders in the Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. to collaborate on how to propel the movement.

“I know you love your team, and I know you just got to have it,” Nightwolf said, comparing the team’s name to a drug. “But it’s time to kick the habit.”More criticism

Dorgan: Time to change name of RedskinsI don't believe the owner of the Redskins, the players or the fans intend to offend by using the term Redskin. But what might have been seen as acceptable many decades ago is no longer acceptable. Times change, and the failure to change with it ignores the progress we have made in so many areas.Prince George’s residents say Redskins’ name is a poor reflection on county“This is a local issue,” said Bob Ross, president of the Prince George’s County NAACP branch. “If it is something that is offensive to Native Americans, we need to support the Native Americans.”Oneida Indian Nation to air Thanksgiving radio ads in Detroit and Baltimore“Thanksgiving is a holiday emphasizing the ideals of inclusion and mutual respect, and is a time when we give thanks,” Oneida Indian Nation representative Ray Halbritter said. “We would like to express our appreciation to everyone who has spoken out about the important moral and civil rights issue of changing the Washington football team’s name. Change the Mascot supporters have sent a powerful message to the NFL that no group deserves to be treated as the target of a hurtful racial slur, and that Native Americans should be treated as what we are: Americans.”What Native Americans Want You to Know on ThanksgivingI agree--changing the name of a football team won’t change the rampant poverty and drug abuse on many reservations or the government policies and federal budget cuts that keep Natives ostracized. But it’s a start. It is often too easy to marginalize a people that make up less than 2 percent of the national population, and if nothing else, the Washington Redskins scandal is forcing families throughout the nation to talk about Native Americans not as historical figures but modern Americans who have played an important role in the history of this nation and deserved to be treated with respect.