DaShanne Stokes: Original Americans Foundation just a ruse

On March 24, Dan Snyder issued a letter to the devout fans of his beloved Washington Red*kins announcing the creation of the “Washington Redskins Original Americans Foundation.” The announcement served as a rallying cry for all those who support the Red*kins and other ethnic team names and mascots, but it was issued for all the wrong reasons.

In the letter, Snyder serves up claims of a team legacy of honor and respect for Native people, and widespread Native American support, as reasons to keep controversial team name.

But conveniently absent from the letter was any mention that the facts, figures, and voices of Native Americans offered as “support” for the team name have been cherry-picked to frame the team in a positive light. Also curiously missing is any reference to the growing body of social science research demonstrating that ethnic team names and mascots have a strong negative impact on both Native and non-Native Americans—even when people aren’t aware of it.

To be sure, Snyder and his supporters are right that there are people, including some Native Americans, who see no problem with ethnic team names and mascots. In fact, like some African Americans who use the N-word, some Native Americans do call themselves the R-word, and some wear team jerseys. Some Native American tribes have even gone so far as to give their official blessing to schools, like the Florida State Seminoles, to call themselves by tribal names.