Councillors

NCAI response to the Washington football team’s commitment to addressing name change

Submitted by Councillor Tina Abrams, NCAI Regional Vice President

WASHINGTON, DC | July 3rd- Today, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) welcomed the Washington NFL team’s announcement this morning of its plan to conduct a “thorough review” of the team’s name and mascot, which represents an important breakthrough for Indian Country in its longstanding effort to change the name and mascot.

“We are encouraged by the Washington NFL team’s announcement that it will conduct a ‘thorough review’ of the team’s name and mascot. This moment has been 87 years in the making, and we have reached this moment thanks to decades of tireless efforts by tribal leaders, advocates, citizens, and partners to educate America about the origins and meaning of the R-word,” said NCAI President Fawn Sharp. “NCAI looks forward to immediately commencing discussions with the league and team about how they will change the team’s name and mascot, and a prompt timetable for doing so. Indian Country deserves nothing less. The time to change is now.”

NCAI is the oldest, largest, and most representative national organization serving American Indian and Alaska Native tribal nations and their citizens, and has been leading Indian Country’s movement to eradicate offensive Native “themed” mascots from sports and popular culture for more than 50 years.

UPDATE: The Washington Redskins announced Monday that they will be retiring their nickname and logo after completing a thorough review that began on July 3.

“Today, we are announcing we will be retiring the Redskins name and logo upon completion of this review,” the team said in a statement.