The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition of more than 200 civil rights groups, called on the Washington professional football team to eliminate its racist mascot.

The coalition passed a resolution that called the mascot an "affront to the dignity of Native American tribes and peoples."

"The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights calls upon the National Football League’s Washington Redskins franchise 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," the resolution states.

The resolution was approved at a meeting in Washington, D.C. Ray Halbritter, the federally-recognized representative of the Oneida Nation of New York, addressed the civil rights leaders.

"The resolution that passed today makes clear that protecting civil rights means not just making sure everyone has an equal opportunity and an equal chance to make their voice heard - it also means making sure that everyone has a right to live free from being a target of racial slurs," Halbritter said in a press release.

Get the Story:
Civil rights coalition asks Washington Redskins to change name (The Washington Post 12/13)
Civil rights coalition calls for Redskins to change name (USA Today 12/13)
Redskins respond to latest effort against team’s name (NBC Sports 12/12)

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