Racial inequality in recent years has taken a turn for the worst. History has shown that race has become closer and closer to non-existent but more recently we have seen that is not the case. A race that seems to be ignored by the public eye is the Native American people. The people who roamed this land for years are now being pushed aside for things such as money, resources, and popularization. One example of the racism that Native Americans are receiving that categorizes in money, resources, and population is the team name of the Washington “Redskins”. Redskin has been a racial term used to dehumanize Native Americans ever since the white man stepped on to the Native owned land. The white man has pushed Native Americans lower and lower on the totem pole every since the power was in the white mans hand. The NFL over the past years has gained the power of the white man but refuses to address the racial slang of and continues to dehumanize Native people every Sunday night when the Washington Redskins take the field. Millions of people get to watch this event and don’t realize that on the other side of the screen a Native American sits and watches their culture get washed down the drain.

The NFL is a worldwide powerhouse of sports and may be the most influential sport on the planet. This very reason is where the concern from Native American’s seems to spark. Their cultures and ancestors are still being called a racial name years after race seems to be on better terms. In a survey conducted by the Washington Post, nine out of ten Native Americans stated that the “Redskins” was not offensive, but that one out of ten find it offensive to culture that represented America before anyone else.

The power that the NFL has is one that comes with great responsibility and we are seeing the trend of positive things coming from the NFL but not all issues have been solved, one being the affects that they have on the community. The NFL has such a strong impact on the community today that it is almost mind controlling. Everyone buys into what big corporations such as the NFL have to offer. Everyone sees what they offer but not exactly what they are trying to hide, such as racial tensions and slurs that still exist in the o so popular NFL. The racial issue with the Redskins seems to have been ignored by the NFL. The team name and marketing have become so powerful the NFL just over powers and injustice with this racial remark. Every Sunday night that goes by more and more of Native American heritage is hurt as young Native Americans begin to loose their grips from their ancestors who once roamed this country.

Native Americans have roamed the country years before settlers came and destroyed their lands and their cultures. We need to do everything possible to preserve what culture and traditions still the Native Americans have to this day. In the article “Native Americans and The Federal Government” Andrew Boxer writes of the not only the amount of land Native American’s have lost but the meaning of the land that the people have lost. One important overview of information from this article was the Dawes Act. The Dawes act was put in place in 1887 by the U.S. government and the act pushed to integrate Native Americans into the American culture with some force. America saw any other race than white at the time a different and weaker race. The government used the Dawes act as a mission to try and make Native Americans as close to whites as possible. According to Andrew Boxers research article “In practice, this meant requiring them to become as much like white Americans as possible: converting to Christianity, speaking English, wearing western clothes and hair styles, and living as self sufficient, independent Americans.” (Boxer 1). These are the main things that the government wanted to integrate to the Native Americans. 

The Dawes act may seem like a very long time ago, which one hundred and fifty years is a long time but the way the act affected Native American’s is still happening one hundred and fifty years later. Weather it be small racial terms day by day or a larger scale public message such as the “Redskins” it is still happening. Most people don’t actually realize that racism is still a problem in the United States today, and when people hear about racism, they act like the topic is alien like. Racism very much still exists in the country and not much is happening to make changes regarding racism.

Racism comes in many forms and one thing that stands out is not only the forms of racism but also the things that connect to racism. Things that connect to racism are such as disrespect and creating a minority towards people. Native American people have always been a minority to the white man and we still see that today through the schooling system. Native American schooling is the worst in the nation and most of the schools are completely failing Native students. In the article “How America is Failing Native American Students” written by Rebecca Clarren, the weakness of the everyday Native American schooling system is revealed. The weakness is the racism in the public schools that eventually causes Native American students to drop out of public schools and attend the Native American based programs which have virtually nothing to offer for it’s students. One student who Rebecca Clarren interviewed stated, “I felt worthless—like I wasn’t worth the effort or patience to understand who I am and my history. This school district has failed us my entire lifetime, and it continues to do this today.” This student stated she had dropped out of the public school due to racist remarks such as “prairie nigger” (Clarren 2).

Almost every school in American will say they are seeking change in the academic program but these schools don’t take in hand the damage that has already been caused. The same student from Rebecca Clarren’s interview was asked to contact friends who had transferred to other schools like she had done and she replied “Most of them are pregnant, parents, addicted to drugs, moved away or dead…so would be hard for me to contact them.”(Clarren 3). Weaknesses in one area of racism lead to the next. A national televised racist remark, “Redskin”, may be the leading reason as to why many Native Americans are failing in many aspects of life not only as a minority but also as a people in general.

Native American’s are seeking changing in the community with racism and preserving their culture, but is America truly ready to accept this? America claims to be the land of the free but is every individual in America free? Especially those who have inhabited her beauty longer than all? These are questions I ask myself every time I see a Native American, which seems pretty rare these days. We may be seeking change for racism but it seems America cannot handle the change. In August of 2016 Colin Kaepernick takes a knee during the national anthem and gains more attention than one could ever imagine. For those of you who don’t recognize the name Colin Kaepernick look him up on the internet, I’m sure there will be something saying how he is a piece of shit, and is a disrespect to our country. Which is the obvious thinking when a man knees during an anthem that has been keeping America as a whole for hundreds of years, but unfortunately this is what it is going to take. 

In the article “Colin Kaepernick Took a Stand That The Washington Redskins Will Never Make.” Written by Stephen A. Crockett, Crockett states, “When an owner doesn't care about the feelings of Native Americans, the players, most of whom are black, won't care about the feelings of African Americans. It's the trickle-down effect of high-level racism.”(Crockett 2). The section of that quote that stands out most to me is the “trickle-down effect of high level racism”(Crockett 2). This trick-down effect is what keeps racism thriving and able to survive in a place where it is stated to be not tolerated. If it is not dealt with it is unseen by the millions of American’s who may be willing to make a change. Stripping the Washington Redskins of their name and mascot is a large move, but it is a large move headed in the right direction.

Not being a Native American I never had to deal with the suffering, loss of culture, and racism that the Native Americans have dealt with. I have seen racism towards Native Americans happen but I have never had the feeling of having culture ripped out of your or all of your land taken by another people. Evelyn Red Lodge is a writer for the High Country News in Rapid City North Dakota; she also belongs to the Rosebud Sioux tribe. In an article she wrote for the High Country News labeled “Racism Against Native Americans Persists” you get the short sweet and bitter truth about what is really happening to Native Americans today. The information I read in the article was truly sickening and makes me sick to my stomach even thinking about it. I picked a couple of the states Evelyn stated in her article that stood out to me. “ I find a Black Hills trail guide listing the 7th Cavalry Trail as if it’s fun for people to follow the trail of mass murderers who killed anywhere from 75 to 125 babies, children and women at Wounded Knee in 1890.”(Lodge 1). “Just walking downtown in Rapid City, the so-called City of Presidents, I spot the stores along the way that used to sport signs saying “No Indians or Dogs Allowed.” I go to He Sapa — the Black Mountains — where I look upon the faces of past U.S. presidents who helped wipe out so many Indigenous peoples. I remember that Natives were only declared to be citizens by the United States Congress less than 100 years ago.”(Lodge 1). These statements are sickening and make me truly realize the seriousness of the loss of culture for Native Americans. Many of America’s greatest moments have a horror story for the Native people. So when Evelyn Red Lodge turns on her television on Sundays and hears a professional sports team being called the Redskins and thousands of people cheering, do you think she thinks about the football game? Or her ancestors children being slaughtered for land, or her loss of culture throughout the years, or the Native American children who grow up in poor environment’s destined to fail, I will let you answer that one. 

Harry Reid is a Senate minority leader and is a big time advocate for renaming the team name of the Washington Redskins. I bring up Reid due to his power in the government and his outgoingness to get the racist name changed. In the newspaper article I selected “Harry Reid Slams NFL For Caring More About Fantasy Football Than Racist Team Name” Reid calls out the NFL for completely ignoring racist issues but covering a major income for the NFL. Specifically Reid calls out the NFL caring more about the fantasy football than the racism in the NFL. Reid states “It is a sad state of affairs for the NFL that they care more about cancelling a fantasy football convention than a racist franchise name.”(O’Connor 1). It is this problem of worrying more about money that has caused people to forget cultures. Not much in the world gets in the way of money and stops major corporations. This is one of the major reasons people seem to be turning eyes to the racism in the name “Redskin”. The public has its money else where such as fantasy football and other things that are pleasing to the consumer. The consumer needs to take a step back look and what needs to be changed and move on from there. Without realization of problems in this world we live in a cycle of a routine of madness. 

One of the larger controversies in recent years is the blood testing of Native Americans to prove their amount of Native American is their blood. In an interview with Native Americans that the New York Times conducted the emotions of the Native Americans in society today is revealed. A Native American woman from the interview states, “The cattle outside doing the work, and the dog inside the house, those are property, those are the black folks in America. They’re our property to white men. Then the exotic antelope on the wall, that’s how natives are perceived in America.”(Stephenson “A Conversation With Native Americans On Race”). This quote by the apache woman was very eye opening to me as it gave me an inside view as to what the Native American people feel as how they are being treated. A major reason they feel they are being treated this way is the racism they receive and the way they believe they are looked upon by other races. Continuing to call a whole entire race a racial slangs years after racism is said to have been ended is still mind blowing to me. To actually realize what has happened to these people is unreal and I can only imagine what natives have had to deal with.

The same apache woman from the New York Times interview stated “If it were up to the American government natives wouldn’t be around. Because after a certain time that blood will dilute, it will go out. And so if there no native peoples to provide benefits then were not obligated to meet these treaty rights. And if were not available to meet these treaty contracts, then the land is available, the resources are available”.(Stephenson “A Conversation With Native Americans On Race”). America seems to have realized this and is one of the reasons they have the blood quantum test on Native Americans in the United States. The government tells the Natives in the end whether or not they are native.  This is a major reason why the NFL is turning a blind eye to the “Redskin” issue. They believe the culture has been erased and the native people no longer exist.

Addressing the opposing side of this issue is very difficult, as racism is undeniably still in this nation, and still is affecting Native Americans. One could argue that a majority of the Native American’s don’t mind the name “Redskin” as the poll taken by the Washington Post does favor this argument, nine to one. One should not only realize that Native Americans disregard this poll but they disregard any poll about racism towards their community. The Washington post created a poll by calling 504 random Native Americans and asking them “Do you as a Native American care about the team name The Washington “Redskins?”. There are currently 5.2 million Native Americans in the United States today. Having said that, the Washington post’s poll represents about .0001% of the Native American population. So the counter argument would assume that the Native American population, which is 5.2 million people, agrees on the same terms as 504 Natives? I don’t think so. An online article written by John Breech includes quotes of Politian Jeb Bush, Bush states “I don't think they should change it,” Bush said. “I don't think politicians ought to be having any say about that, to be honest with you. I don't find it offensive. Native American tribes generally don't find it offensive.”(Breech 1). Speaking for an entire population is something that takes a large pair, especially when talking about racism. Jeb Bush and many Politian’s are very bland and weak spoken with this subject, as there is not much to change the fact that the name is still racist. Regarding statistics, racism is still racism, and until every square inch of this country is free of racism the fight will never end. 

Exposing the weakness of our society is the only way we can solve issues such as racism. The people who roamed this beautiful country years before white men stepped foot on it deserve as much respect as another other citizen in this country. Preserving a culture preserves the emotions the way of life for Native Americans. Getting equality for all races has to start somewhere and I know changing the Washington “Redskins” name is a step in the right direction without question. Change will not come easy but if it is the right thing to do for everyone it needs to be done. The importance of culture for the Native people is stronger than I ever imagined. Realizing what it would feel like to be completely stripped of your property is a feeling I don’t seek to feel but one I seek to repay for those who lost everything to the white man. Native Americans have dealt with us for hundreds of years its time we pay them back with respect for them and especially the culture they thrive on.
