The Navajo Nation is celebrating after the Washington Redskins announced it would be changing the team’s name amid pressure.
Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said in a Monday statement that the day would be remembered for years to come, given the “historic” change.
“July 13, 2020 is now a historic day for all Indigenous peoples around the world as the NFL Washington-based team officially announced the retirement of the racist and disparaging ‘Redskins’ team name and logo,” he said. “This change did not come about willingly by the team’s owners, but by the mounting pressure and advocacy of Indigenous peoples such as Amanda Blackhorse, and many other warriors who fought long and hard for this change.”
The Navajo Nation statement also “strongly encourages” the NFL team to choose a new name that honors Native Americans. It suggested calling the team the “Code Talkers” after the Navajo code talkers and other Native American nations that used their indigenous languages to help the United States win World War II.
The group said that changing the “Redskins” to a name honoring Native American achievement would “set the team on a path to restoring its reputation and correcting the historical misrepresentation of Indigenous peoples.”
“This change did not come about willingly by the team’s owners, but by the mounting pressure and advocacy of Indigenous peoples such as Amanda Blackhorse, and many other warriors who fought long and hard for this change.” (Read full statement below) pic.twitter.com/uukrxvDrtU
— Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez (@NNPrezNez) July 13, 2020
The name change was announced in a Monday statement by team owner Dan Snyder and head coach Ron Rivera. The two said the franchise is “working closely to develop a new name and design.”
