The Executive Council of the Episcopal Church is in session in Phoenix. At its February meeting, at the behest of the late Terry Star, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, the Council urged the Washington Redskins football team to change its disparaging name.
It seems fitting, then, that, as Deadspin reports: “The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation has bought airtime in seven major cities during halftime of tonight’s NBA Finals Game 3 for a one-minute spot criticizing the Redskins team name, and calling for it to be changed.”
Below is the extended two-minute version of the “Proud to Be” video, produced by the National Congress of American Indians back in January. My son had a post of Billy Mills on his wall throughout college, so that section has a special resonance for me.
Meanwhile, the franchise is seeking reinforcements on K Streett, hiring lobbyists, according to Politico:
The hire of a major K Street firm came just one week after 50 Democratic senators sent a letter to the National Football League asking the league to formally support a change in the Redskins name. “The N.F.L. can no longer ignore this and perpetuate the use of this name as anything but what it is: a racial slur,” the senators wrote.
McGuireWoods will work on “discussions of team origins, history and traditions, Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation and youth sports, activities of Original Americans’ Foundation,” according to the disclosure.