In the days leading up to this year’s Super Bowl, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) launched an emotively powerful anti-Redskins campaign that brought the Washington DC NFL franchise mascot name controversy back to the forefront of public debate.
Led by a beautiful and stirring two-minute commercial, which includes many names regularly used to describe Native Americans (eg Cherokee, Blackfoot, and Navajo), the film closes with a shot of a Washington Redskins helmet sitting on the turf and a voiceover saying:
‘Native Americans call themselves many things, the one thing they don’t…’
The objective of the NCAI, the oldest and largest organisation representing Native Americans in the USA, is that the campaign will act as a call to action for viewers all over America to contact the NFL, its commissioner Roger Goodell, the team’s major local paper Washington Post and the ‘Washington Professional Football Team’ itself.
It also drives viewers online to visit the campaign hub at www.ChangeTheMascot.org.
The twin hashtag #ChangeTheMascot and #NotYourMascot campaign is an ongoing initiative aimed at ending the use of the term ‘redskins’ – considered a racial slur by Native Americas and to change the mascot and name of the Washington DC NFL team.
This creative, part of a campaign initially launched by the Oneida Indian Nation, follows an earlier video released in November, which featured interviews with tribal leaders from right across the USA all calling for the mascot and name to be dropped.
Tribal heads from seven different tribes feature in the film:
- Cathy Abramson – Councilmember, Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians
- Al Goozmer – President, Tyonek Native Village of Alaska
- Brian Cladoosby – Chairman, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and President, NCAI
- Edwina Butler Wolfe – Governor, Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma
- Leander McDonald – Tribal Chairman, Spirit Lake Tribe
- Dennis Welsh – Chairman, Colorado River Indian Tribes
- Candace Bossard – Councilmember, Ponca Tribe of Nebraska
Supporters are also encouraged to also drive (and follow) the campaign on Twitter through the following hashtags: @ChangeDCMascot @OneidaNation & @OneidaNatnNews.
Comment
All those involved in this issue – from the league itself, the commissioner, franchises, fans, sponsors and brands too should take note of the power and poignancy of this cause campaign to bring an end the use of the racial epithet.
What better timing for such a cause campaign than to leverage interest in and around the NFL’s flagship event – The Super Bowl.
Indeed, the strategy seems to be paying off – in terms of coverage and take up anyway – as the video has racked up one million YouTube views.
Indeed, the #NotYourMascot hashtag trended on Twitter in the US on the day before the game itself.
Links:
Change The Mascot Website
Campaign Twitter Hashtags
#NotYourMascot
#ChangeTheMascot
NCAI Website
Washington Redkins NFL team
Washington Redskins Twitter
@Redskins
NFL Website
NFL Commissioner Twitter
@nflcommish
