Opinion: Addressing the harmful effects of Washington mascot

It is unlikely that the Washington Redskins organization is intentionally being prejudiced towards Native Americans since the team name has a long history and was created by prior owners. However, continued refusal not only to refrain from changing the team name, but to even acknowledge the potential harmful effects of the team name runs the risk of suggesting that the organization is complicit in prejudice and discrimination against Native Americans and insensitive to the effects of witnessing such discrimination on our population. To remedy this matter, several actions must be taken:

— The Washington football team should change its name

— The NFL should create a commission to study the effects of race and ethnic team names and mascots to determine the limits of this practice

— The Washington team and the NFL should engage in outreach to Native American groups to determine how to mend perceptions of prejudice

— We as citizens should actively speak out against such prejudice