Published on Dec 13, 2013
In a unanimous vote, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights has joined the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), Oneida Nation, and numerous media outlets in taking a stand against the name of the Washington, DC football team.
The Leadership Conference is the nation’s premier civil and human rights coalition representing more than 200 diverse national organizations. Today, members passed a resolution calling upon the Washington, DC team “to change its team name, and to refrain from the use of any other images, mascots, or behaviors that are or could be deemed harmful or demeaning to Native American cultures or peoples” and notes that using this slur as the team’s name “cannot in any reasonable way be viewed as honoring the culture or historical legacy of any particular Native American tribe or individual.”
The resolution also urged state, local, and federal governments to “to end any preferential tax, zoning, or other policy treatment that could be viewed as supporting the franchise as long as it retains its current team name.”
The NAACP, National Council of La Raza, American Association of People with Disabilities, the ACLU, National Organization for Women, and the Anti-Defamation League are just some of the organizations represented by the civil and human rights coalition.
In response to the unanimous support of the resolution, Jacqueline Johnson Pata, Executive Director of NCAI, remarked:
“By recognizing the ongoing disparagement of American Indian and Alaska Natives and asking the NFL to change the name of the DC franchise, the Leadership Conference reconfirms its commitment to fighting for equal rights for Native peoples. Passing this resolution at their annual meeting further proves that LCCHR is fully behind this work and NCAI is proud and happy to have them on our team.”
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