It is time that the NFL and the media stand on the right side of history.
Oneida Nation Homelands (NY) (PRWEB) September 05, 2014
As the Washington NFL team heads to Houston for their first game of the 2014-2015 season on Sunday, they will be met with a new radio ad from the Change the Mascot campaign airing in Houston and nationally. In the 60-second spot, listeners are encouraged to take action against the R-word by contacting their local newspapers, radio and T.V. stations urging them to end their use of the dictionary-defined slur. The ad also highlights some of the country’s leading and most respected Native American and civil rights organizations which have joined the Change the Mascot campaign in demanding a name change from the team.
The new advertisement comes on the heels of a letter sent this week to nationwide radio and T.V. broadcasters urging them to stop using the disparaging R-word to refer to Washington’s NFL team. More than 100 highly respected religious, civil rights and Native American groups signed onto the letter.
“Native American leaders, civil rights groups, religious institutions and public health groups representing hundreds of thousands of Americans have joined together to ask that the Washington's NFL team change its name and stop promoting a dictionary-defined racial slur against Native Americans,” the ad states. “Now we are asking for your help: if you believe Native Americans do not deserve to be slurred every Sunday, then call your local newspaper, local sports talk radio station and local television station and tell them to not use the R-word when reporting on the Washington team. It is time that the NFL and the media stand on the right side of history.”
During last year’s NFL season, Change the Mascot ran similar ads speaking out against the team’s use of the R-word dictionary-defined slur in Washington, D.C., and every city where the team played away games. The grassroots movement has attracted widespread media attention and garnered prominent support from thought leaders across the nation, including sports icons, journalists, members of Congress from both parties, and President Obama, in addition to the groups signing on to the recent letter and highlighted in the new ad.
The advertisement will run this weekend on Houston's KILT-AM, which broadcasts the Texans games. It can also be found on the Change the Mascot website here.
Full text of 90-second the ad:
Voice-over reading names of groups supporting the Change the Mascot campaign:
“The National Congress of American Indians
American Indian Center Chicago
Anti-Defamation League
Association on American Indian Affairs”
“In the last year, Native American leaders, civil rights groups, religious institutions and public health groups representing hundreds of thousands of Americans have joined together to ask that the Washington's NFL team change its name and stop promoting a dictionary-defined racial slur against Native Americans. As the NFL season gets underway, these groups are also asking media organizations and sports broadcasters to stop using this word. Now we are asking for your help: if you believe Native Americans do not deserve to be slurred every Sunday, then call your local newspaper, local sports talk radio station and local television station and tell them to not use the R-word when reporting on the Washington team. It is time that the NFL and the media stand on the right side of history. Visit Changethemascot.org to learn more.”
Voice-over reading names of groups supporting the Change the Mascot campaign:
“California Association of Tribal Governments
Oneida Indian Nation
Center for Native American Youth
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes
NAACP
National Caucus of Native American State Legislators
National Urban League
United South & Eastern Tribes
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights”