I first heard of the debate over the name “Washington Redskins,” decades ago.
Nothing was done. And despite ownership changes and generally more enlightened times, things remain the same to this day.
It seems some people still like good old-fashioned slur-based racism.
Washington football team owner Daniel Snyder told USA TODAY recently, “We’ll never change the name. It’s that simple. NEVER — you can use all caps.”
THAT WAS THE CUE FOR TEN MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO SEND A MESSAGE ALL IN CAPS BACK TO SNYDER, FIGURATIVELY THAT IS.
The Washington Post quoted the congressional letter sent to Snyder and the NFL: “In this day and age, it is imperative that you uphold your moral responsibility to disavow the usage of racial slurs. The usage of the (“R-word”) is especially harmful to Native American youth, tending to lower their sense of dignity and self-esteem. It also diminishes feelings of community worth among the Native American tribes and dampens the aspirations of their people.”
The letter was signed by representatives and co-chairs of the Congressional Native American Caucus: Tom Cole (Oklahoma) and Betty McCollum (Minnesota) as well as Raul M. Grijalva (Arizona), Gwen Moore (Wisconsin), Michael M. Honda (California), Donna M. Christensen (Virgin Islands), Zoe Lofgren and Barbara Lee (both of California) and Eleanor Holmes Norton of the District.
