For most of my life I was one of the “we have bigger issues” Natives that denied the importance of changing the mascots. #Thread
I grew up on the Rez, my grandpa was a fan of the R*dsk*ns, they had the same colors as our high school, the Cherokee Braves...I also grew up seeing the issues of drugs, diabetes, alcoholism, & lack of adequate mental healthcare firsthand & those seemed more urgent at the time
When you on the Rez you are surrounding by your community of Native people and you’re not often challenged about your Native-ness
I actually worked at a family Native bookstore on the Rez and was exposed to @crichardking's Team Spirits. But I was more upset by the constant stream of tourists that came in looking to prove that indeed their great-great grandmother was a Cherokee Indian Princess
We often laughed off these people & as Native people you get used to people “well actually”-ing you (especially if you’re Cherokee)
I left the Rez for college and my world was rocked, things were very different outside of the Rez bubble...my love for sports from the Rez transformed into a love for the business of sports...
In grad school I was lucky enough to be mentored by @RichardLapchick, he’s like a father to me, & like a good father he let me learn on my own the problem with the mascots – he didn’t force me change my “we have bigger issues” stance
Then I moved to Portland, Oregon to work for @NikeN7, I was so inspired by the urban Native community and the greater awareness of Native people in general in the PNW.
But when I told people I was Cherokee I got those same doubting looks that I had so often given...
But when I told people I was Cherokee I got those same doubting looks that I had so often given...
"But I grew up on the Rez! I’m legit Native!" (I realize now how problematic that thinking was, Native people don’t get to choose their upbringing and I was lucky to be a part of one of the few tribes that you would consider a “have” vs. a “have not”)
I started learning more about how mascots harm Native peoples & create implicit bias in all of society. I had my fair share of “do you live in a teepee?” & Pocahontas jokes but I didn’t realize just how linked mascots were to the appropriation & ignorance of actual Native people
I learned so much about Suzan Harjo & @blackhorse_a & the many others (@CharleneTeters @jfkeeler @NCAI1944 @CrystalEchoHawk) who had been fighting these mascots for decades (on top of the other great work they were doing for the Native community)
I was ashamed of myself for not doing more & allowing the continued use of Native mascots
But during my PhD I was able to do research w/ @ErinWhiteside on sport journalists & how they perceive their role in the mascot issue, the symbiotic relations between these journalists & the teams they covered made things tricky & I saw a shifting a blame to the league & owners
By time I reached 30 I finally felt I had a full grasp on the issue. The Washington name is a slur, even if Natives use it referring to themselves it doesn’t make it acceptable (sound familiar?)
It’s not an issue of offense, it’s an issue of human decency and the fact that we must stop making caricatures of an entire group of people
I’ve always loved sports and the power of sports to create a story and bring people together – this isn’t even close to over – we must continue to learn, grow, and challenge one another to do better and be better.
I cannot applaud the work of the activists, advocates, and educators, Native and non-native who have put in so much work to see this day.
I honestly never thought we would, because usually when a white man like Dan Snyder says NEVER, for Native folx that means never.
I honestly never thought we would, because usually when a white man like Dan Snyder says NEVER, for Native folx that means never.
Also – it cannot be said enough that it weren’t for the #BLM movement this may have never happened. The momentum around eradicating racism is greater than ever before and I’m so thankful. There’s so much justice still to be had. Let’s keep pushing!
Thank you for reading this thread, please don't let me be the only Native you know or see in your Twitter feed @atachine @Indigenia @jourdanbb @LucasBrownEyes @ndnsports @CrystalEchoHawk @IndianCountry @nick_w_estes @janiceatwestern @dallasgoldtooth @mredshirtshaw @_IllumiNatives
Woof, thanks for sticking through the typos - 1 more thing on the “honor” argument - when Native mascots were started it was the same time that our government was sending Native youth to boarding schools in the attempt to erase our culture...doesn’t hold up...
My grandparents & all of our elders were taught to be ashamed of their heritage & banned from speaking our language, but you want to honor us with a mascot? ...If you have a Native team mascot you can’t control the ignorance that will continue to perpetuate 
