bransonglobe.com SPORTS moment when they are doing the right thing and they are taking a stand for racial justice, they need to also be taking a stand on this particular issue within the NFL,” she said. “There’s got to be a zero tolerance on racism.” Initiatives like Change the Mascot and IllumiNative also protest against other Native American team names, mascots and traditions besides the Redskins. Echo Hawk believes the “Tomahawk Chop” used by Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves and other teams and Native American imagery should be out of professional sports, though she and Halbritter take particular offense to Redskins, calling it a “dictionary-defined racial slur.” After the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office canceled the Redskins’ trademark in 2011, saying it offends American Indians, the team won a legal victory in 2017 when the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of an Asian-American rock band that a 71-year-old law barring disparaging terms infringes free speech rights guaranteed in the Constitution. It’s unclear if recent events have shifted the thinking of Snyder, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell or other owners. This week, Quaker Foods announced it’s retiring the 131-year-old Aunt Jemima brand and the owner of the Uncle Ben’s brand of rice says the brand will “evolve” in response to concerns about racial stereotyping, while Land O’Lakes in April removed the likeness of a Native American woman from its packaging. PepsiCo, which owns Quaker Foods, has partnered with the team since just after the Supreme Court trademark ruling in 2017. A Pepsi executive at the time said the name is “a team and league decision, in our perspective.” “We’re looking at other big brands and I think it’s just a question of when,” Echo Hawk said, adding she believes it’s more profitable long term for institutions to “do the right thing” and re-brand. She said it’s not a leap to go from the concerns of protesters over police brutality to the name, citing a recent study that showed Native Americans were more likely to be killed by police than any other group when considering the size of their population. Fryberg and Eason pointed out science shows the existence of these names and mascots increases depression and suicide among Native Americans. “At the end of the day, we should really be highlighting the fact that there are these negative implications out there,” Eason said. Halbritter hopes this movement is enough to change it. “Given what’s happening in this country, more people realize what dehumanizing other people based on race and its effect has on June 19-20, 2020 • 17 people,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that it took such a tragic event — tragic events — to come to that realization.” Support Our Local Veterans! Washington Redskins NFL football team logo is seen on the field before an NFL football preseason game against the New England Patriots in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
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