Rainbow Push Coalition and Rev. Jackson

I was invited to attend the Rainbow Push Coalition, by my friend Jineea Butler.  The Reverend Jesse Jackson spoke on many issues, videos to come shortly.  While he spoke he talked about many important topics, but it just so happen that he also waded in on the debate over the name of the Washington Redskins.

 I was given this article by his chief of staff.

TIME IS RUNNING OUT

THE NAME “REDSKINS” IS OFFENSIVE AND MUST CHANGE

By The Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.

The name of the NFL’s Washington Redskins must be changed.  It must also be clear that changing the name of the team is not an attack on the team, its fans or players.  A remake should not distract DC’s love of their football team.  In fact, it should enhance it.

It’s important that people understand the origin of the name Redskins. As our country was being expanded westward and land forcefully taken, stolen, from Native Americans - and they resisted - bounty hunters were paid to bring in dead Indians.  They brought the bodies in wagons.  Soon this became so cumbersome that the bounty hunters were told to just bring in the Indian’s head.  They brought in so many heads that this too became burdensome.  So they were finally instructed to just scalp the Indians and bring in the “Redskins” and they would be paid their bounty.

When I was young and watching westerns on television and at the movies, the cowboys needed to be afraid because, according to the dominant narrative, if they didn’t remain on guard the Indians might scalp them.  We now know the truth is the exact opposite.

Clearly the African American community would not tolerate a sports team named the Cleveland Hangers (with a rope as its logo), Hispanics would not countenance the Chicago Spics and Caucasians would not abide the Atlanta Gringos.  Since sports team names can be affected by political pressure and economic boycotts – i.e., numbers count - most think such offensive American Indian sports team names continue to be accepted by team owners simply because there are not enough Indians.

In addition to American Indian names, an ongoing concern is the use of American Indian mascots by high schools, colleges and professional sports teams that offend – offend traditions and religious symbols of our native population.  There has been progress in changing some of this.  The New York Times recently reported that nearly 70% of the approximately 3,000 sports teams that previously used Native American mascots have voluntarily ended the practice.  But there are still sports team names that many American Indians find offensive – e.g., Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Braves, but especially the tomahawk chop that accompanies the name.

Clearly, out of all these names, the most egregiously offensive team name by far is the Washington Redskins.  This team name cannot even be remotely compared to the other team names that some Native Americans find offensive.  “Redskins” is of a different offensive order altogether.

Pressure on Washington’s team owner to change the name is growing.  President Barack Obama said in a recent interview that if he were the team’s owner he would strongly consider changing it.  Reed Hundt, a former Chairman of the FCC, has urged broadcasters not to use the team’s nickname when reporting.  Some print reporters are following suit.  Bob Costas did a commentary against it at halftime on the recent Sunday Night Football game between Dallas and Washington.  It’s been reported that, privately, many of Washington’s football players are embarrassed and uncomfortable with the name.  The other NFL team owners were confronted with this issue in a recent peer meeting.

Washington’s team owner, Daniel Snyder, so far, has taken a position similar to former Alabama Governor George Wallace in the 1960s with regard to segregation.  Wallace said,  “Segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.”  Mr. Snyder has vowed to “never” change the team’s racist name.

It’s not as if Washingtonians haven’t undergone a popular sports team name change before.  Abe Pollin, who owned the Washington Bullets, changed the name to “Wizards” because he considered the “bullet” symbolism offensive.  Times change and some things past should be left there.    

With “Sambo” and other experiences of offensive names, a city with an African American majority should be especially sensitive to this issue.

There was a time in the South that African Americans weren’t allowed to attend legally segregated Caucasian colleges or universities as students or student-athletes.  But from Jim Thorpe to Jackie Robinson to Minnie Minoso to Roberto Clemente to the Williams sisters to Tiger Woods, we’ve fought to “let in” people of color and break down racial barriers in sports, and we’re making progress.

The challenge, however, is not only to “let in” people of color, but to “take out” of sports racially derogatory names, symbols and practices.

Some defenders of the Washington football name like to site polls that show most Americans are not offended by the name.  But most Americans don’t know this story.  If they did I believe they would side with the Oneida Indian Nation that is leading this effort and be willing to change the name.  People of color are now included in sports.  But it’s past time to “take out” racially insensitive sports names and symbols that are offensive.