Activists will gather at Lambeau Field on Sunday to protest the name of the Green Bay Packers' opponent, the Washington Redskins.
The weekend's events kicked off today at University of Wisconsin-Green Bay with an educational forum on Washington's Native American-themed name and logos. Barb Munson of the Wisconsin's Indian Education Association heads the group's task force on native-themed sports mascots. She refuses to speak the team name.
“I'm not going to say it,” she says. “I don't say the N-word either.”
Munson's group has helped change Wisconsin state law regarding ethnic team mascots: Now, if a community member objects, the names and logos come up for review. She says pro sports help set the tone for college and high school team names.
“With every school district we go into to have a dialogue about the use of a mascot, we have the challenge of, 'What about the Washington R. team?'” she says. “People say, ‘We'll change when professional sports teams change.’”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made remarks Thursday indicating the Washington team may have to change its name in the future if it offends people.
Richie Plass is a radio host at Wisconsin Public Radio in Green Bay and curates a collection of offensive Native American memorabilia which was on display at UW-Green Bay. He says Washington’s team name and logos are akin to black-face minstrelism.
“That word does not come from the color of our skin,” says Plass. “That word comes from the blood of the bodies of the victims who were scalped by the early Europeans for money.”
The Oneida Nation is a major sponsor at the stadium and has no official involvement with the protest.
