Change the Mascot

Change the Mascot is a national campaign to end the use of the racial slur “r*dskins” as the mascot and name of the NFL team in Washington, D.C. Launched by the Oneida Indian Nation, the campaign calls upon the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell to do the right thing and bring an end the use of the racial epithet. View Our Fact Sheet

EMPIRICAL STUDIES

Laurel R. Davis-Delano, Joseph P. Gone & Stephanie A. Fryberg (2020) The psycho-social effects of Native American mascots: a comprehensive review of empirical research findings, Race Ethnicity and Education

LATEST PRESS RELEASE

New Washington NFL Team Name Signifies Hard-Won Victory for Native Americans
The name change represents important first step; NFL must still acknowledge and apologize for the harm caused through its continued use of a dictionary defined slur.
February 2, 2022

IN THE NEWS

Ray Halbritter Op-Ed, CNN: The terrible R-word that football needed to lose
July 13, 2020

Oneida Nation leader Ray Halbritter on Washington NFL team change: ‘It’s about respect’
July 13, 2020

Wall Street Journal: Washington’s NFL Team Officially Drops the R*dskins Name
July 13, 2020

ESPN: Washington NFL team says it will retire R*dskins name, logo
July 13, 2020

Oneida Nation leader to R*dskins: ‘Stand on the right side of history’
July 4, 2020

R*dskins to undergo ‘thorough review’ of nickname
July 3, 2020

Washington R*dskins Urged to Lose Name, or Millions in Sponsorships
July 1, 2020

Report: Investors send letters asking Nike, FedEx, PepsiCo to terminate relationships with R*dskins
July 1, 2020

Unless Daniel Snyder changes R*dskins’ name, RFK site is off the table, officials say
July 1, 2020

Statue of former R*dskins owner George Preston Marshall removed from RFK Stadium
June 19, 2020

Jeva Lange, The Week: We’re missing the most glaringly racist brands.
June 18, 2020

Teton School District Replaces R*dskins Mascot
June 17, 2020

Barry Svrluga, The Washington PostThe R*dskins’ name is the shameful statue of the NFL. Tear it down.
June 16, 2020

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser: R*dskins need to change team name
June 12, 2020

Native American Advocates Call Out R*dskins and Other Teams Condemning Racism
June 3, 2020

Michigan schools scraps R*dskins mascot, citing division
March 9, 2020

Illinois lawmakers have introduced a bill to ban Native American mascots
Feb. 27, 2020

Washington R*dskins’ name, Native mascots offend more than previously reported
By Yasmin Anwar, Berkeley News, Feb. 4, 2020

Native American leaders say fight to change Washington R*dskins mascot continues
By Payne Horning, WRVO, May 31, 2016

We must stop the NFL from exporting racism
By Rep. Betty McCollum and Michael Dugher, MP, Feb. 29, 2016

Dolphins owner’s anti-racism group should address team name
By Ray Halbritter and Jacqueline Pata, Dec. 25, 2015

Monument to Segregationist Should be Removed from RFK Stadium
By Rev. Graylan Scott Hagler and Ray Halbritter

The destructive dynamic of dehumanizing Native Americans
By Ray Halbritter and Jacqueline Pata

Change the Mascot leader Ray Halbritter talked with The Hollywood Reporter regarding the use of racist American Indian imagery in professional sports.

Watch: The Daily Show’s recent interview with Native American author Sherman Alexie. The segment extensively discusses the Washington NFL team’s use of the  R-word slur, and how Native Americans are often left out of discussions about the name and its offensive nature.

  • “I know that R*dskins is a racial slur because it’s never been said in a positive way to me,” Alexie said in the interview. “For all of these fans of the R*dskins and the sports teams, I would challenge them to go into a tribal setting, you know, go to a tribal council meeting, and walk in and yell out to the assembled Natives ‘Hello R*dskins’ and see how that goes.'”

Read: British Members of Parliament urge NFL to change Washington name or send different team to U.K.

  • See also: Leading national British newspaper The Independent recently published a column centered around the Washington NFL team’s trip to London scheduled for next season. The piece urges Wembley Stadium, which will host the team in October, to be consistent in its strong anti-racism stands when the D.C. franchise visits with a mascot the paper describes as “racist and derogatory.” The article also calls upon the BBC, which will broadcast the game, to honor its responsibilities by standing against the offensive name.

MEDIA SPOTLIGHT

Change the Mascot Praises Adidas for Momentous Offer to Help End Offensive Native American Mascotsread more

VIDEO – President Barack Obama Pushes Adidas to Work with Washington’s NFL on changing the name.

VIDEO – California Senate Education Committee Hearing on AB30 “California Racial Mascots Act” Press Conference.

Watch: An episode of ‘Native Report’ featuring coverage of the Change the Mascot Campaign rally that took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota during the NFL season

Read: Citing Civil Rights History, Groups Ask NFL Players to Oppose Washington NFL Team Name and Join the Change the Mascot Campaign

Watch: Oneida Indian Nation Representative Ray Halbritter appeared on MSNBCs “Jansing & Co.” to discuss the latest developments

Oneida Indian Nation Praises New York Lawmakers for Resolution Calling on Pro Sports Leagues to Stop Using Racial Slurs read more

VIDEO: Remarks by Oneida Nation Representative Ray Halbritter

VIDEO: Remarks by members of the New York State Assembly and Senate supporting the Resolution

Ray Halbritter appears on ESPN’s Outside the Lines
Oneida Indian Nation Representative Ray Halbritter appeared live on ESPN’s Outside the Lines on Thursday, April 25, reacting to the latest comments by Washington NFL team owner Dan Snyder.

Below are the video clips of Ray Halbritter’s comments on the ESPN program:

Ray Halbritter – ESPN clip #1
Ray Halbritter – ESPN clip #2
Ray Halbritter – ESPN clip #3

MILESTONES

Oneida Indian Nation Praises U.S. Patent & Trademark Office’s Rejection of Washington Redskins Product Due to the Derogatory Nature of the R-Word

Oneida Nation Issues Statement Regarding a Bipartisan Congressional Letter to the NFL Calling for the League to Support Changing the Name of Washington’s Team

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Inc. – a coalition of the nation’s leading civil rights organizations – passed a Resolution Dec. 12 calling on the NFL’s Washington team to change its name

Oneida Indian Nation Releases Poll Data Showing That a Name Change by Washington’s NFL Team Would Lead to Continued or Strengthened Support for the Team

Noted Psychologist Dr. Michael Friedman reports on the harmful effects of the use of a racial slur

Read: The Fascination and Frustration with Native American Mascots
By Jennifer Guiliano, assistant director of the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities

Read: Oneida Indian Nation Responds to President Obama’s Historic Comments About Washington’s NFL Team Name.
*The President’s comments come just two days before the Indian Nation’s “Change the Mascot” symposium at the NFL Fall Meeting.

  • Watch a short video with highlights from the Symposium – click here
  • Watch the Symposium remarks by The Hon. Eleanor Holmes Norton – click here
  • Watch the Symposium remarks by The Hon. Betty McCollum – click here
  • Watch the Symposium remarks by Dr. Michael Friedman, Psychologist – click here
  • Watch the Symposium remarks by Kevin Gover, Director of the National Museum of the American Indian – click here
  • Watch the Symposium remarks by Cooperstown (NY) School Board President Dr. David Borgstrom and High School Students Emily Greenberg and Catherine Borgstrom – click here
  • Watch the interview with the President on NBC – click here