Sports

Dump the ‘Redskins’ Movement Presses Ahead

Published

10 years ago

January 6, 2015

A group protests the Washington Redskins name across from Levi’s Stadium before an NFL football game between the Redskins and the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif., Nov. 23.

by Askia Muhammad
Special to the NNPA from The Final Call

WASHINGTON (FinalCall.com) – Hundreds of Native American protestors and their supporters staged a rally Dec. 28, outside the Landover, Md. Stadium where home games are played by the Washington NFL franchise which they insist uses a racial slur—Redskins—as its nickname.

Similar, even larger protests have been held over the last two seasons from California, to Texas, Arizona, and to a massive rally of thousands in Minnesota in November this year.

The event was intended to: “Protest the disparaging racist name of the Washington football team,” radio host Jay Winter Nightwolf told his listeners two days before the rally. The name he said is “a racial slur with a long bloody past.”

That bloody past amounted to state-sponsored genocide, Native people insist, and it’s all tied to the team name, which they say is not an honorific, but an insult.

“When those boats landed here in 1492,” Clyde Bellecourt, a member of the Anishinabe Ojibwe Nation and co-founder of American Indian Movement (AIM) told Mr. Nightwolf on his radio program on Washington’s WPFW-FM, “there’s estimates that anywhere from 15 million to 26 million native people resided here in Western Hemisphere, most of them in the borders of what’s called the United States of America.

“And at the closure of the last major massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890, on Christmas Eve, when ‘peace on earth, goodwill toward men’ was going on, they mowed mostly old people women and children, close to 300 of our unarmed people died at Wounded Knee, and the last census taken around that time there’s only 248,000 to 300,000 Native people left here in America. We know well what has happened to them. It was perfectly legal at that time to kill an Indian. It was still on the books until the early (20th) Century,” Mr. Bellecourt said.

Native protests began in Washington in 1991, leading up to the 500th anniversary year of the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Western Hemisphere. Dozens of Native people picketed every home game the team played then at federally-owned RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. Angry fans often spit on and poured beer on the protestors.

At the same time a group led by Native attorney Suzan Shown Harjo filed a complaint, challenging the team’s trademark before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Appeals Board, which agreed seven years later, revoking the team’s exclusive license to use its name and logo, because the name is a dictionary-defined racial slur.

Team owner Dan Snyder appealed and the decision was overturned on a legal technicality in 2005. In 2007 a younger group of Indian plaintiffs filed another challenge before the Patent Board, which again, in 2014, revoked the team’s trademark. That decision has also been appealed in federal court.

Since that 1992 protest campaign, the team’s achievements on the field have gone from bad to worse. After winning the Super Bowl that year, the team has had only five seasons out of 22, when they won more games than they lost. Some superstitious observers attribute that record to a “curse” placed on the team by Indians over its racist name in 1992. During the last seven years the team has won only 32 games, while losing 64, finishing last in its division six times.

The reason native people are so adamant about this name ahead of all the sports team names which objectify Indians as team mascots, is because the “redskin” was used to prove that an Indian had been murdered, in order to collect a bounty, protestors point out. “Native people had to be eliminated, annihilated,” Mr. Bellecourt said. In order to collect the reward and prove someone had killed an Indian, at first they had to bring in a skull. Skulls he said were brought in by the wagonloads until church women in then Western states—particularly in Minnesota—protested the brutality and the provision was changed to require only a scalp.

“Which meant you could (then) kill women and children,” Mr. Bellecourt continued. “That’s where the word ‘redskin’ comes from.” That, he said, ushered in the genocide against Native people. “Dan Snyder, who is Jewish, should know something about genocide.”

“This is not just about the ‘R-word,’” Simon, another guest on Mr. Nightwolf’s program explained. “If you look at the Kansas City Chiefs, if you look at the Cleveland Indians and Chief Wahoo, people show up in the stands wearing red-face. And they don’t associate that with racism. They just say it’s their sports culture, and that’s what matters to them.

“The reason that the Redskins (team is) facing us with this full national rage, (is because) Washington D.C. is the nation’s capital, and the message that it sends, that a Native American is a mascot, a dehumanized individual. That’s a strong message that we send everywhere. People are going to follow suit with that.”

In its 22 years of active campaigning, the movement to eliminate native team mascots has been successful, according to Mr. Bellecourt. In 1992 the count was more than 12,000 teams across America with Native Americans as mascots. Universities and high schools have gotten rid of the names and the slurs. Now he said there are 2,000 teams which still use native mascots.

“The reason we picked the Washington football team (is) because it’s the most horrific name in sports history,” Mr. Bellecourt said. “If we get them to change the others will change automatically—Chief Wahoo (Cleveland Indians MLB), the ‘Tomahawk Chop’ (Atlanta Braves MLB),” the Chicago Blackhawks (NHL), Golden State Warriors (NBA).

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WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries Kick Off Season with Community Programs in Oakland

“The Golden State Valkyries are more than a team—they’re a movement,” said Oakland Interim-Mayor Kevin Jenkins. “Their touchdown in Oakland marks a new era of opportunity, inspiration, and equity in sports. This partnership reflects our city’s deep commitment to uplifting women, investing in youth, and building a community where every dream has a place to grow. We’re proud to welcome the Valkyries to The Town.”

Published

2 days ago

May 18, 2025

Oakland Post

The Valkyries came to Oakland City Hall with a “Hoopbus.” Present were (from left to right): City Councilmembers Noel Gallo, Rebecca Kaplan, Zac Unger and Rowena Brown; Oakland Mayor-elect Barbara Lee, Valkyries President Jess Smith, a Valkyries team representative and Deputy Mayor LaNiece Jones. Photo courtesy Rebecca Kaplan’s office.

Team installs new nets at playgrounds, holds flag-raisings at City Halls in Oakland and S.F.

Special to The Post

The Golden State Valkyries brought the excitement of their inaugural season to every corner of the Bay Area with a full slate of community celebrations leading up to their historic home-opener against the Los Angeles Sparks at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Friday.

The week featured flag-raising ceremonies at city halls in Oakland and San Francisco, three “Violet Net” installation days at Oakland parks to encourage basketball play, fun “Hoopbus” takeovers at multiple schools presented by Kaiser Permanente, and player appearances.

In total, 90 violet nets were installed on 45 basketball courts across 34 public parks throughout Oakland this week. A list of the parks receiving violet nets can be found at Valkyries.com.

About the Golden State Valkyries

The Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA affiliate of the seven-time NBA Champion Golden State Warriors, were announced as the 13th WNBA franchise on Oct. 5, 2023. According to Norse mythology, Valkyries are a host of warrior women who are fearless and unwavering – flying through air and sea alike.

This brand is Golden State’s modern interpretation of Valkyries: strong, bold, and fierce. Tipping off during the 2025 WNBA season, the team is headquartered in Oakland and will play home games at Chase Center in San Francisco. For Golden State Valkyries’ assets, including team logos, visit valkyries.com.

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Activism

McClymonds High Names School Gym for Star Graduate, Basketball Legend Bill Russell

William “Bill” Felton Russell was born on Feb. 12, 1934, and died on July 31, 2022. He achieved fame as a U.S. professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. He was the centerpiece of the Celtics dynasty that won 11 NBA championships during his 13-year career.

Published

3 months ago

February 18, 2025

Oakland Post

Bill Russell and Brian McGhee in McClymonds High School Gym, 2011. Photo courtesy of Brian McGhee.

By Ken Epstein

West Oakland’s McClymonds High School, “the School of Champions,” this week named the school’s gymnasium in honor of one of its most famous graduates, basketball legend Bill Russell (class of ’52).

Russell is widely known as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. In 2011, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civil honor, from President Barack Obama for Russell’s contributions to basketball and the Civil Rights Movement.

The McClymonds’ naming ceremony was held on Wednesday, the same day as Russell’s birthday. Oakland leader Bill Patterson, a longtime friend of Russell’s, was scheduled to cut the ribbon at the reopening of the gym, which had been closed for several months for renovation. Russell’s daughter Karen was scheduled to attend the ribbon cutting.

Russell’s name and signature are now printed on the gymnasium floor.

Patterson was working at DeFremery Park when he met Russell. “I befriended him as a boy and during his years at University of San Francisco” said Patterson. “We stayed friends for the rest of his life.”

Said McClymonds Principal Darielle Davis, herself a McClymonds graduate, “We are excited to honor Bill Russell for his sports accolades and because he broke color barriers. He is part of our legacy, and legacy is really important at McClymonds.”

Brian McGhee, community schools manager at McClymonds and former football player at UC Berkeley, said that Russell meant a lot to him and others at the school. “He was a beacon of light and hope for West Oakland,” he said. “He did a lot for sports and for civil rights.”

Starting in 2018, Ben “Coach” Tapscott worked with Patterson and other McClymonds grads, community members, and former coaches to encourage the Oakland Board of Education to endorse the naming of the school gym, which finally happened recently.

“We worked hard to make this happen,” said Tapscott. “He’s an important part of McClymond’s history, along with a lot of other famous graduates,” he said.

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Activism

OPINION: Politics, Football and Identity in Trump’s America

If you haven’t noticed, all Americans are engaged in an even bigger game that means so much more than the Super Bowl. Our democracy is falling apart.

Published

3 months ago

February 17, 2025

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Emil Guillermo

Two Filipino American stories made headlines recently.

First, Nikko Remigio, the Filipino and African American kick returner for the Kansas City Chiefs, did not win Super Bowl LIX.

The other, Alameda’s Rob Bonta said no to running for governor. I don’t blame him. It’s not like a mass of people wanted him to run.

But I did.

Whenever there is a Filipino American in a place you don’t expect, I’m rooting for that person.

As California’s Attorney General, Bonta is probably the most active defender among Blue States pushing back against Trump’s Extreme-Right agenda.

I’d like to Bonta run for California’s top job, but he’s better off waiting in line. The Democrats need a spot for Kamala Harris, and Bonta not running obliges the hierarchy.

History can wait. Bonta’s just 52.

Harris has held off speculation of her next move, saying she just moved back to the state. But it seems governor is the path for her.

For now, Bonta needs to continue taking the fight to Trump in the courts.

Football and Identity Politics

My dad, whose birthday would have been Super Bowl weekend, came to the US in 1928 as a colonized Filipino, an “American National,” where he couldn’t be a citizen, vote, own property or even marry the person he wanted.

Not if they were White.

Still, he believed in America. He never gave up.

Sort of like Nikko Remigio.

My dad would have loved Nikko.

If you haven’t noticed, all Americans are engaged in an even bigger game that means so much more than the Super Bowl. Our democracy is falling apart.

You want to get passionate about Eagles and Chiefs?

Let’s be passionate about our Founding Fathers, too.

Nikko didn’t change the game. He touched it three times and provided more yards than all of KC’s running backs.

That’s all I needed to see.

He’s our Filipino guy.

Detractors may call it “identity politics.”

People don’t seem to understand the fight for visibility. To be recognized. To be seen. It’s all wrapped up in the big idea of Civil Rights.

I was nowhere near as good as Nikko when I played. But when you are blessed to play football, you play your hardest.

For me, that was when I was 12 and 13 playing Pop Warner football in San Francisco. I was MVP for my team as a running back.

But I was ashamed of my dad. He wasn’t like the other dads. And I remember going to the team banquet to retrieve my trophy alone.

I didn’t realize it probably meant more to him than I thought.

I wish I had shared my MVP moment with him like Nikko shared his joy with his dad, Mark, born in Seattle to two Filipino immigrants, and his mom, whose mixture of Black and White made Nikko the picture of diversity.

Filipino American and Black and White at the Super Bowl.

But don’t forget, there is one game bigger.

The Super Bowl for Democracy. We’re battling for it every day Trump pushes a cockamamie idea that shakes the foundation of our Democracy.

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is an award-winning journalist and commentator. Watch his micro-talk show “Emil Amok’s Takeout/What Does an Asian American Think?” on www.YouTube.com/emilamok1 Or join him on http://www.patreon.com/emilamok