ONEIDA NATION HOMELANDS, Aug. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — The national grassroots Change the Mascot campaign today praised Washington’s football team for banning fans from attending home games wearing Native American-inspired headdresses and face paint, calling it a “welcome update to the team’s policies and protocols.”
“By prohibiting fans from misappropriating and mocking Native culture, the Washington football team is demonstrating common decency and common sense,” said Oneida Indian Nation Representative and leader of the Change the Mascot campaign Ray Halbritter. “We appreciate this welcome update to the team’s 2021 policies and protocols. We commend the Washington team for making these changes and for moving away from the racist name, logo and other iconography that offends our nation’s first Americans.”
Formed in 2013, the Change the Mascot campaign was the leading voice addressing the problematic NFL team mascot and urging the NFL and Washington team officials to drop the racist R-word slur.
In recent weeks, Change the Mascot expressed similar support for the Cleveland Major League Baseball team for rebranding itself as the Guardians. Change the Mascot described it as an indicator of the “growing recognition of harmful depictions of marginalized groups, as well as newfound mutual respect between professional sports organizations and Native American cultures.”
About Change the Mascot
Change the Mascot is a grassroots campaign that works to educate the public about the damaging effects on Native Americans arising from the continued use of the R-word. This civil and human rights movement has helped reshape the debate surrounding the Washington team’s name and brought the issue to the forefront of social consciousness. Since its launch, Change the Mascot has garnered support from a diverse coalition of prominent advocates including elected officials from both parties, Native American tribes, sports icons, leading journalists and news publications, civil and human rights organizations and religious leaders.
Follow us on Twitter:
@ChangeDCMascot
@OneidaNatnNews
Media Contact
Joel Barkin, Change the Mascot, (315) 361-8173, [email protected]
SOURCE Change the Mascot
