Change the Mascot Issues Response to Ruling Ordering Cancellation of R*dskins Trademark
Oneida Nation Homelands (NY) (PRWEB) July 08, 2015 -- Change the Mascot released the following statement after a federal judge today called for the cancellation of the Washington NFL team’s federal trademark registrations surrounding its offensive R-word name*:
“We congratulate Amanda Blackhorse and all of those who have worked tirelessly to achieve today’s historic victory. Today’s ruling further highlights how the Washington NFL team’s insistence on ignoring the will of an increasingly diverse country has become a crisis for the NFL - and the league’s refusal to use its power to change this offensive name turns its silence into active complicity, associating itself with those who believe people of color deserve to be slurred. The owners and Commissioner Goodell have a clear problem on their hands: one of their fellow owners is out of control – creating a national spectacle by defending racial slurs at a moment when the country is clearly demanding an end to the bigotry of yore.
We have seen incredible bipartisan progress in recent weeks surrounding the effort to end the promotion, marketing and profiting off of the Confederate flag. We have seen the highest court in the land move to protect all people’s right to marry, and we’ve now see two separate courts declare that taxpayers are not obligated to effectively subsidize the Washington team’s racial slur by granting it lucrative patent protections. Now, Dan Snyder and the NFL must face the fact that the R-word is hurtful and wrong, and that it’s time to do the right thing and change the name.”
Change the Mascot is a grassroots campaign that works to educate the public about the damaging effects on Native Americans arising from the continued use of the R-word. This civil and human rights movement has helped reshape the debate surrounding the Washington team’s name and brought the issue to the forefront of social consciousness.
Since its launch, Change the Mascot has garnered support from a diverse coalition of prominent advocates including elected officials from both parties, Native American tribes, sports icons, leading journalists and news publications, civil and human rights
*Federal judge orders cancellation of Redskins’ trademark registrations, The Washington Post, 7.8.15, washingtonpost.com/local/judge-upholds-cancellation-of-redskins-trademarks-in-a-legal-and-symbolic-setback-for-team/2015/07/08/5a65424e-1e6e-11e5-aeb9-a411a84c9d55_story.html
Joel Barkin, Change the Mascot, +1 (315) 361-8173, [email protected]
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