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Discrimination Against Native Americans

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In 1492, Christopher Columbus first came in contact with the native people in Americas, where he stated, “They all go around as naked as their mothers bore them, and the women. He also said that “ they could easily be commanded and made to work, to sow, and to do whatever might be needed, to build towns and be taught to wear clothes and adapt our ways, “ and “they are the best people in the world and above all the gentlest.” This was the very first instance were Native Americans were marginalized, which would soon turn into a long lasting and suffering venture for them. Today, after hundreds of years, society has grown and many minorities have gained recognition and empowerment. Although, a lot of people believe that the discrimination against …show more content…
Many sports franchises have been criticized lately for the derogatory things they portray about Indians within their mascot. They turn a ‘deaf ear’ to the many concerns of the Native Americans, and look to have no intent in the changing their names or symbols. The Washington Redskins’ owner Dan Snyder, is a person who helps perpetuates the feelings and attitudes towards Native Americans by profiting off their name and likeliness, yet shows a blatant lack of respect for their customs, history, and tradition like many other teams in sports. Gradually, Americans are becoming more aware of the plight of Native Americans, but yet there still remains a fight to end the termination of their likeliness and names within mascots and …show more content…
This can be seen in the nationally recognized groups against this cause, such as National Congress of American Indians, D.C. Council, Native American Rights Fund, Association of American Indian Affairs, and many others. According to the Washington Post, “The Anacostia High School Indians might soon have to change their name if the D.C. Council approves a new bill that would prohibit the city’s public schools from using Native American mascots, “ this is one of the newer attempts to ban these names. All of these groups are very headstrong in their efforts to address and eliminate as many mascots with Indian connotations. According to the New York Times, “The debate tends to settle on one question: how many people must be offended by a team’s name for a change to be warranted? The Redskins and the National Football League cite polling in which most respondents said they were not offended by the name, while those lobbying the team to drop its name dispute the accuracy of that data and say that no matter, the word is widely regarded as a slur.” As the alienation of this group has changed over the course of the years, it has brought many different tribes together all for one cause. The Association of American Indian Affairs has staged active protest directed at Dan Snyder and has condemned him for protecting the name of the Redskins. Also, The National

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