"Redskins" protest = white guilt?

The R*dskins Myth of a Manufactured White Liberal Controversy

By Johnnie JaeContrary to what Dan Snyder and R-word supporters would like you to believe, the #Changethename movement against the Washington football team and native mascotry is not a new battle. It has been waging for decades. The belief that this is a controversy stirred up by White Liberals is, also, the furthest thing from the truth.

For over 50 years, Indigenous activists, organizations and their allies have been fighting to end Native Mascotry. While much of the battle and progress has gone unnoticed by the mainstream, two-thirds of all native mascots, team names, and logos have been retired. There are fewer than a thousand left to go.And:Every single day, we have native individuals, organizations, and whole communities working and making progress on the issues that our people are dealing with. Save Wiyabi, All Good Thinking, Lakota People’s Law Project, We R Native, Native American Suicide Prevention Organization, NCAI, Native Youth Sexual Health Network, Owe Aku International, EONM, and I could go on and on listing the wonderful organizations and individuals that we have working on all the issues.

Unlike the mass of R*dskins supporters who are clamoring to claim “Indian blood in their background” to say that as “Indians” they’re not offended, we don’t get to pick and choose what days and on what issues we’re going to choose to be indigenous. We ARE indigenous, which is why we, also, don’t get to pick and choose what issue is or isn’t important. Every issue is important because they directly affect our people as well as the way that we are viewed and treated by mainstream society. This is why it is a ridiculous notion to believe that our other issues are being ignored just so we can focus on the blatant racism of the R*dskins moniker.And:The truth is that there is an awakening that is occurring among our indigenous people. At no other time have we had so many indigenous individuals and organizations tackling our issues in the mainstream media with such tenacity that our voices are getting harder to ignore. We are seizing upon every opportunity we have to make our voices heard and to remind people we are “indomitable” and “unyielding”. Social media has given us the platform to discuss our issues and form alliances on such a scale that the mainstream society can no longer pretend that we are a conquered or extinct people who can continue to be marginalized, fetishized, and exploited for their entertainment and profit.

This is why the R*dskins organization is desperately trying to perpetrate the belief that this issue is being “manufactured” and is the political agenda of White Liberals. As long as the general public believes that this is a “Liberal” temper tantrum, the longer that Dan Snyder and supporters can continue to marginalize native involvement and continue the R*dskins’ 81 year tradition of normalizing and promoting racism towards indigenous people. The problem with their “let’s pretend 91% of all natives are honored by our use of a slur” approach is that they continue to illustrate how out of touch they are with the native community and reality.

Tribes, individuals oppose "Redskins"

It's kind of pathetic that we have to list all the Natives who oppose the "Redskins" name every time the issue comes up. Are mascot lovers too stupid to use Google?

No, obviously, they choose to remain ignorant despite the wealth of information on Native opposition to mascots. They perpetuate the "white guilt" myth to protect their fragile egos from having to rethink their positions.

Well, here's the latest set of Natives who oppose the "Redskins" name. Read 'em and weep, ignorant mascot lovers.

Who has spoken out against the Redsk*ns?As I’m sure you know by now, on Wednesday, June 18th, the US Trademark and Patent office officially cancelled the Redsk*ns trademark, calling the name “disparaging to Native Americans.” It was a huge win, 22 years in the making. In the aftermath, there have been hundreds of articles, tons of news commentary, and people saying a whole lot of racist BS in defense of the name. But as it all has swirled, I kept wanting a collective list of ALL the folks who have spoken out against the team name. So I decided to make one.The list begins with:Tribal Councils/Tribal Leaders/Tribal Members
(thanks to changethename.org for a lot of these)

Navajo Nation
Cherokee Nation
Choctaw Nation
Chickasaw Nation
Seminole Nation of Oklahoma
Muscogee (Creek) Nation
Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation
Oneida Nation of New York
United Tribes of Michigan
Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin
Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians
Hoh Indian Tribe
Penobscot Nation
Samish Indian Nation
Shoshone-Bannock Tribes
Inter Tribal Council of Arizona
Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians Gun Lake Tribe
Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians
Poarch Band of Creek Indians
Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians
The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation
The Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes
The Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation
67% of Native Americans in a new survey
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples James AnayaThen there's this list of thousands of individual Natives who oppose "Redskins":

Scholar Launches Google Doc 'Collective Voice' Campaign to Opposes 'Redskins' Name

By Simon Moya-SmithA Native American scholar has taken it upon herself to combat the ubiquitous, albeit false, argument that the majority of Native Americans do not consider the Washington team name offensive.

Dr. Adrienne Keene, a Cherokee and a recent graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, has launched a Google Doc that allows Native Americans who oppose of the pejorative to sign their name and prove the argument erroneous.And perhaps the most prominent Native athlete in major league sports of the last half-century:

Legendary Quarterback Sonny Sixkiller: Redskins Name 'Is Racist to Me'Sixkiller recently spoke with CNN about the controversy surrounding the name of the Washington (DC) Redskins. The Redskins organization has tried to frame this issue as one that Natives don't care about--this clip suggests otherwise, and we hope it will be shared widely to counteract the misinformation.