Tara Houska. Photo from Twitter
Attorney Tara Houska, a member of the Couchiching First Nation, reacts to a Washington Post poll that asked 504 Native Americans for their views on the Washington NFL team's racist mascot:
This morning, I awoke to a Washington Post poll proclaiming that 9 of 10 Native Americans don’t find a dictionary-defined racial slur offensive. “An even higher number – 8 in 10 – said they would not be offended if a non-Native called them that name.” Really? I have a pretty good idea of what would happen if a non-Native approached a group of Natives on a reservation and greeted them with “Hello, redsk*ns!” It wouldn’t end with a friendly rendition of ‘Hail to Redsk*ns,’ that’s for sure. Name change advocates will now endure a new round of “but this poll says” arguments when we say we are offended. Decades of grassroots opposition, nearly 25-years of legal challenges, hundreds of tribes and Native organizations representing thousands of tribal members will be disregarded by those waving a questionable poll like a smoking gun. A group of 504 people, 56-percent of whom are self-identifying and not enrolled in a tribe will allegedly speak for more than 5.2 million Native Americans. It’s exhausting to think about.Get the Story:
Tara Houska: Regardless of WaPo Poll, Native Mascots Hurt Our Youth (Indian Country Today 5/19) More Opinions:
Dave Ruthenberg: Tell us again, who is offended by Redskins? (The Enid News 5/22)
Editorial: A slur is a slur: Change the Washington football team’s name (The Washington Post 5/21)
Paul Woody: If the 'Redskins' nickname does not offend, it's time to move on (The Richmond Times-Dispatch 5/21)
Robert McCartney: I’m dropping my protest of Washington’s football team name (The Washington Post 5/20)
Editorial: Meet the real 'Redskins' bigots (The New York Post 5/19) Also Today:
A Heated Linguistic Debate: What Makes ‘Redskins’ a Slur? (The New York Times 5/22)
Inside the fight between Daniel Snyder and Native American activists over ‘Redskins’ (The Washington Post 5/21)
For Native American activists, a new Post poll on Redskins name won’t end their fight (The Washington Post 5/20
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