This topic has been discussed over and over again, and worded more eloquently than I can by many Native peoples; however, I wasn’t given a chance to speak on this topic in person yesterday so I need to get my thoughts out somewhere.
I was being given a ride yesterday and the person had the Rush Limbaugh show on the radio playing, (i think it was Rush but I’m not completely positive!) The discussion was the “Redskins” team and why they shouldn’t change the team’s name.
The argument was: The team was named “Redskins” to honor a previous coach who happened to be Native American.
1. A racial slur does not honor anyone; it promotes racism no matter what the intent. Racial slurs are dehumanizing and harmful no matter what the intent is behind the use of the term.
2. if someone was trying to honor a coach why use an insult to honor them? Why not use the coach’s name? Or something tangible that represents him? For example, I named my daughter after my grandmother to honor her memory and to show my daughter how important she is. My grandma was a Native woman, a farmer, a rancher, a hunter, an Aries, etc, etc. I didn’t name my daughter Native woman, or Indian, or farmer. I reused my grandma’s actual name.
3. The word “Redskins” has always been a racial slur. It was a slur when they named the team that and it still is today.
4. If it is true that they named the team after an Native American person they are still being racist by claiming that he represents all Native Americans, and insinuating that all Native Americans are just like him. The lack of recognition of the diversity of Native peoples is an act of racism.
There is no defense, no valid argument, for keeping the name “Redskins”. The only people who defend the name are racists.