Defenders of the Redskins name, both nationally and locally, cite their tradition, and the pride they feel in their team, while calls for change are often dismissed as political correctness.
[10] Redskin is one of the color terms for race that emerged in the colonial period as Native Americans encountered people who called themselves "white" and their slaves "black".
The use of "red" as an identifier by Native Americans for themselves emerged in the context of Indian-European diplomacy in the southeastern region of North America, before later being adopted by Europeans.
[23] Stereotyping may directly affect the academic performance and self-esteem of Native American youth, whose people face high rates of suicide, unemployment, and poverty.
[32] In a 2005 report on the status of Native American students, the National Education Association included the elimination of Indian mascots and sports team names as one of its recommendations.
[35] The NCAI issued a new report in 2013 summarizing opposition to Indian mascots and team names generally, and the Washington Redskins in particular.
[36] In response to the controversy, the team owner Dan Snyder sent an open letter to fans that was published in The Washington Post in October 2013.
In the letter Snyder states that the most important meaning of the name Redskins is the association that fans have to memories of their personal history with the team.
On its official website in early 2013, the Washington Redskins posted articles referring to high school teams using the same name (and often the same logo).
[53] However, the principal of one of these, Red Mesa High School in Teec Nos Pos, Arizona, said that use of the word outside American Indian communities should be avoided because it could perpetuate "the legacy of negativity that the term has created".
[54] Wellpinit High School on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington wants nothing to do with the national controversy, seeing Redskins as the traditional name they have used for their team.
[63] On January 6, 2015, the school board held an information forum at which a panel of Native American community leaders presented the reasons for the decision, including the derogatory nature of the term.
"In this day and age, it's not a celebratory term," said Hilary N. Weaver, associate dean for academic affairs at the University at Buffalo and co-director of the Immigrant and Refugee Research Institute.
The President of the Seneca Nation of New York, Maurice John Sr., wrote a letter stating: "Let's be clear — the term "redskin" is a racial slur ...
[69] Two high schools, in Akron and Lake Shore, have cancelled Lacrosse games with Lancaster in support of the Native American opposition to the Redskins name.
[88][89] The Belding Area Schools Board of Education unanimously voted December 19, 2016, to drop the Redskins and begin the process of selecting a new name.
[90] With the start of the school year in 2019, Belding completed its rebranding as the Black Knights, made financially possible by a grant from the Native American Heritage Fund.
[96] The team name of Anderson High School in a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio, has been a topic of controversy since the nearby Miami University changed from the Redskins to the Redhawks in 1997.
A May 2018 meeting of the Forest Hills Local School District's "Branding and Mascot" committee ended in a shouting match between opponents and advocates of change, the latter including the Greater Cincinnati Native American Coalition.
[97] In June 2018, after four months of passionate public input and very uncomfortable meetings, the committee decided that no consensus could be reached and made no recommendation to change the team name.
[98] The greater awareness of systemic racism in response to the murder of George Floyd resulted in a reconsideration of the issue, and on July 2, 2020 the school board voted to retire the mascot.
[114] As of the January 2017 deadline, three of the four schools have complied with the letter of the law but not the spirit, retaining their Native American imagery and behavior, including a female student portraying an Indian princess in a floor-length war bonnet and fans whopping and tomahawk chopping at games.
[116] In 2015 the PHRC made a preliminary finding that the name Redskins is "racially derogatory" and creates a "hostile educational environment.
[120] In 2021 the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania reversed the PHRC's final order on the basis of failure to establish discrimination against Native Americans.
[123] An editorial by the minority cited the schools traditions, their intent to honor Native Americans, and public opinion polls in support of keeping and printing the name.
The Playwickian journalists were honored by the ACLU on October 8, 2014, receiving one of four Civil Libertarian Awards,[129] and in December, 2014 by the Philadelphia City Council with a resolution commending their actions.
David Cremeans, principal chief of the Native American Indian Foundation of West Virginia, views the name Redskins as having a hurtful history.
Chief Cremeans does not seek to change the name of the mascot, and instead he considers it way to help non-natives to learn about Native American culture.
[148] While aware of the controversy over the Washington team, there is no local discussion regarding Loudon High School in Tennessee changing its name.
[157] Others say there have been no complaints, including a youth league in Sarasota, Florida, the "Ringling Redskins" in which the teams are the "Braves", "Indians", and "Warriors".