Native American Federal Worker Who Faced Retaliation Responds to the Washington Professional Football Team’s Name Change Announcement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 13, 2020

Contact:
Gregg Kelley, Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, [email protected], 202-319-1070

The Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs is happy to see that the Washington Professional Football Team is taking steps to remove the racist name that it has used for decades.

“The name was a celebration of terror and genocide towards Native Americans and a reminder that their struggle for equity is ongoing,” said Dennis Corkery, Counsel at the Washington Lawyers’ Committee. “The name was racist from the start and it should not have taken this moment of a national awakening on racial justice to force this decision today.”

Washington Lawyers’ Committee client, Jody TallBear a civil rights official in the U.S. Department of Energy, has been outspoken in her advocacy and education about the team’s racist name, despite the blow back of popular opinion and even leaders in Obama administration. Ms. TallBear worked to educate the federal workforce about the impact that the team’s name and mascot had on her when it was displayed in the workplace. When her supervisor found out, she was stripped of her duties and denied opportunities to advance her career. She filed a Title VII lawsuit about the discrimination and retaliation and reached a favorable settlement with the agency this past March.

“It’s been 25 plus years since Native Americans made their opposition to being mascots known to the Washington Football Team,” said Ms. TallBear. “The sudden name change, albeit welcome, has underscored my belief that Native Americans could not accomplish this with just our voices. This is why I undertook the education efforts which led to the retaliation I suffered. Today, I am grateful to the people that stand up for others equality as they do their own.”

The Washington Lawyers Committee is grateful to Ms. TallBear and the other advocates who are fighting for equal dignity. It is our hope that the team’s leadership with will work the community to come up with a new name that celebrates the long legacy of civil rights trailblazers like Ms. TallBear.

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