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Kuwait Times
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Native American groups slam Trump call to bring back Redskins name
'These mascots and names do not honor Native Peoples - they reduce us to caricatures' WASHINGTON: Two Native American groups on Monday condemned US President Donald Trump's threat to block a new football stadium in Washington, DC, unless the local NFL team restores its old and controversial Redskins name. In Sunday posts on his Truth Social platform, Trump said there was 'a big clamoring' for the team, which has been called the Commanders since 2022, to revert to its former name and that 'our great Indian people' want it to happen. Trump also urged Major League Baseball's Cleveland Guardians, who changed their name from Indians in 2021, to follow suit. But some Native American groups slammed Trump for pushing for a return to what they called harmful names. 'These mascots and names do not honor Native Peoples - they reduce us to caricatures,' the Association on American Indian Affairs said in a statement. 'Our diverse Peoples and cultures are not relics of the past or mascots for entertainment. Native Nations are sovereign, contemporary cultures who deserve respect and self-determination, not misrepresentation.' After decades of criticism that the name was a racial slur, the Washington NFL team in July 2020 retired the Redskins name and logo - featuring the profile of a red-faced Native American with feathers in his hair - that had been in place since 1933. The National Congress of American Indians said it opposes any effort to revive what it called racist mascots that demean Indigenous communities, calling it 'an affront to Tribal sovereignty.' 'For seventy-five years, NCAI has held an unbroken voice: Imagery and fan behaviors that mock, demean, and dehumanize Native people have no place in modern society,' NCAI President Mark Macarro said in a statement. Because Congress retains oversight of DC under its home-rule law, Trump could try to influence federal funding or approvals tied to the stadium, but he lacks direct authority to block it. Congress, controlled by Trump's Republicans, also has the power to override decisions by the Democratic-dominated Washington, DC, City Council, though it rarely exercises this authority. The team, which has been in suburban Landover, Maryland, since 1997, reached an agreement with the District of Columbia government in April to return to the city with a new stadium expected to open in 2030. The White House did not respond to a request for further comment on Trump's post. The Commanders and NFL also did not respond to requests for comment. While some groups oppose the Commanders returning to the former name, the Native American Guardians Association said it supported Trump's desire to bring back the Redskins name. 'The Native American Guardians Association stands with the President of the United States in the call to return common sense and sanity back to our nation,' the group said in a statement. 'Virtually all Americans, to include American Indians, are fed up with cancel culture.' The Commanders have won three Super Bowls and are one of the NFL's marquee franchises, ranked by Forbes last year as the league's 10th most valuable franchise at $6.3 billion. Many American professional and collegiate sports teams have Native American-themed names. Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves, the National Hockey League's Chicago Blackhawks and NFL's Kansas City Chiefs have said they have no plans to change their names. – Reuters
Irish Examiner
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Native American groups slam Trump call to bring back Redskins name
Two Native American groups on Monday condemned U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to block a new football stadium in Washington, D.C., unless the local NFL team restores its old and controversial Redskins name. In Sunday posts on his Truth Social platform, Trump said there was "a big clamoring" for the team, which has been called the Commanders since 2022, to revert to its former name and that "our great Indian people" want it to happen. Trump also urged Major League Baseball's Cleveland Guardians, who changed their name from Indians in 2021, to follow suit. But some Native American groups slammed Trump for pushing for a return to what they called harmful names. "These mascots and names do not honor Native Peoples — they reduce us to caricatures," the Association on American Indian Affairs said in a statement. "Our diverse Peoples and cultures are not relics of the past or mascots for entertainment." "Native Nations are sovereign, contemporary cultures who deserve respect and self-determination, not misrepresentation." After decades of criticism that the name was a racial slur, the Washington NFL team in July 2020 retired the Redskins name and logo -- featuring the profile of a red-faced Native American with feathers in his hair -- that had been in place since 1933. The National Congress of American Indians said it opposes any effort to revive what it called racist mascots that demean Indigenous communities, calling it "an affront to Tribal sovereignty." "For 75 years, NCAI has held an unbroken voice: Imagery and fan behaviors that mock, demean, and dehumanize Native people have no place in modern society," NCAI President Mark Macarro said in a statement. Because Congress retains oversight of D.C. under its home-rule law, Trump could try to influence federal funding or approvals tied to the stadium, but he lacks direct authority to block it. Congress, controlled by Trump's Republicans, also has the power to override decisions by the Democratic-dominated Washington, D.C., City Council, though it rarely exercises this authority. The team, which has been in suburban Landover, Maryland, since 1997, reached an agreement with the District of Columbia government in April to return to the city with a new stadium expected to open in 2030. The White House did not respond to a request for further comment on Trump's post. The Commanders and NFL also did not respond to requests for comment. While some groups oppose the Commanders returning to the former name, the Native American Guardians Association said it supported Trump's desire to bring back the Redskins name. "The Native American Guardians Association stands with the President of the United States in the call to return common sense and sanity back to our nation," the group said in a statement. "Virtually all Americans, to include American Indians, are fed up with cancel culture." The Commanders have won three Super Bowls and are one of the NFL's marquee franchises, ranked by Forbes last year as the league's 10th most valuable franchise at $6.3 billion. Many American professional and collegiate sports teams have Native American-themed names. Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves, the National Hockey League's Chicago Blackhawks and NFL's Kansas City Chiefs have said they have no plans to change their names.
Toronto Sun
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
Indigenous group condemns Trump's call to restore controversial team names
Published Jul 21, 2025 • 3 minute read U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at an event in the East Room of the White House on Friday, July 18, 2025, in Washington. Photo by Alex Brandon / AP WASHINGTON — The Association on American Indian Affairs is condemning U.S President Donald Trump's call for Washington's football team to revert to its old name, saying any claim that Indigenous nations support the use of Indigenous-themed mascots is false. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account 'These mascots and names do not honour Native Peoples — they reduce us to caricatures,' the Association on American Indian Affairs said in a statement. 'Our diverse Peoples and cultures are not relics of the past or mascots for entertainment. Native Nations are sovereign, contemporary cultures who deserve respect and self-determination, not misrepresentation.' In a Sunday social media post, Trump threatened to hold up a new stadium deal if the NFL's Washington Commanders don't return to their old name, which was considered offensive by Indigenous Americans. In his post, the president claimed that 'Indians are being treated very unfairly.' The Commanders and the District of Columbia government announced a deal earlier this year to build a new home for the football team. It's not clear if Trump can delay the deal. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Read More The president also called for MLB's Cleveland Guardians to revert to their former name, which was also seen as offensive to Indigenous Peoples. In an earlier post, Trump called the NFL team the 'The Washington 'Whatever's' and claimed Indigenous people 'in massive numbers, want this to happen. 'Their heritage and prestige is systematically being taken away from them. Times are different now than they were three or four years ago. We are a Country of passion and common sense. OWNERS, GET IT DONE!!!' Trump posted. The Association on American Indian Affairs is the is the oldest national Native American non-profit in the United States and has been operating for more than 100 years. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It said Indigenous communities and experts have repeatedly and clearly said that these themed mascots are offensive and dehumanizing. RECOMMENDED VIDEO The association pointed to research that found that these mascots are consistently associated with negative health outcomes for Indigenous people, especially youth, and lead to lower self-esteem, increased psychological distress and harm to community well-being. 'There is no genuine respect for Native Nations here — only empty gestures and political theatre. Claiming that 'Indians are being treated very unfairly' while simultaneously gutting Native programs is hypocrisy at its worst,' the statement said. The Commanders and Guardians announced their name changes in 2020 as many sports franchises — including the CFL's Edmonton Elks — stopped using similar names and logos in response to decades of pushback from Indigenous activists and communities. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The year 2020 saw the emergence of a wave of racial justice protests triggered by the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died during an arrest in Minneapolis. Since his return to the White House, Trump has rolled back many of the changes made in the wake of Floyd's death, including diversity, equity and inclusion programs throughout government. The Elks dropped their former name in 2020 after years of criticism from representatives of the Inuit community, who called it offensive. The team was ultimately renamed the Elks the following year but the change divided some team supporters. A new regime at the Elks has been subtly embracing the old name this year — and even put up a sign with the old name in a slogan above the entrance to the Elks' locker-room. — With files from The Associated Press. Canada Columnists Celebrity Canada Columnists
Edmonton Journal
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
Indigenous group condemns Trump's call to restore controversial team names
Article content WASHINGTON — The Association on American Indian Affairs is condemning U.S President Donald Trump's call for Washington's football team to revert to its old name, saying any claim that Indigenous nations support the use of Indigenous-themed mascots is false. Article content 'These mascots and names do not honour Native Peoples — they reduce us to caricatures,' the Association on American Indian Affairs said in a statement. Article content Article content 'Our diverse Peoples and cultures are not relics of the past or mascots for entertainment. Native Nations are sovereign, contemporary cultures who deserve respect and self-determination, not misrepresentation.' Article content Article content The Commanders and the District of Columbia government announced a deal earlier this year to build a new home for the football team. It's not clear if Trump can delay the deal. Article content Article content The president also called for MLB's Cleveland Guardians to revert to their former name, which was also seen as offensive to Indigenous Peoples. Article content Article content In an earlier post, Trump called the NFL team the 'The Washington 'Whatever's' and claimed Indigenous people 'in massive numbers, want this to happen. Article content 'Their heritage and prestige is systematically being taken away from them. Times are different now than they were three or four years ago. We are a Country of passion and common sense. OWNERS, GET IT DONE!!!' Trump posted. Article content The Association on American Indian Affairs is the is the oldest national Native American non-profit in the United States and has been operating for more than 100 years. Article content It said Indigenous communities and experts have repeatedly and clearly said that these themed mascots are offensive and dehumanizing. Article content
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
National Native Organizations and Tribal Leaders Respond to Ann Clouter's ‘We Didn't Kill Enough Indians' Remark
When conservative pundit Ann Coulter posted 'We didn't kill enough Indians' this past weekend, she wasn't just spreading hate speech—she was launching a direct attack on tribal sovereignty and the inherent right of Native nations to exist. Since Tuesday, national Native organizations and tribal leaders have issued statements in response. While excerpts from some of these have appeared in previous coverage, we are publishing the full, unedited statements received by our newsroom here: Statement by the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) emphatically condemns the hateful, genocidal statement of Ann Coulter on July 6, 2025, through a post on the social platform X, declaring: 'We didn't kill enough Indians.' There is no place in society for this direct incitement of hatred and violence toward American Indian and Alaska Native people. Never miss Indian Country's biggest stories and breaking news. Click here to sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. 'These words are not provocative social commentary; they are a violent attack on Native people and Tribal Nations. Celebrating genocide against Tribal Nations crosses every moral line,' said NCAI President Mark Macarro. 'Careless comments like this glorify the darkest chapters of U.S. history and actively endanger Native peoples' lives today. We will not sit silently at attempts to normalize this abhorrent behavior. We demand an immediate retraction and public apology — and we expect leaders of every political persuasion to denounce this abomination without equivocation.' 'Free speech does not confer a license to advocate for or justify mass murder — past or present,' added NCAI Executive Director Larry Wright, Jr. 'When a public figure with more than two million followers romanticizes extermination, it fuels harassment, hate crimes, and political violence. Silence from elected officials and media outlets will only normalize this genocidal history. We call on them to speak up now.' NCAI further demands that X enforce against vitriol like this and send a message that such inciting hate speech will not be tolerated by banning this individual from their platform. Instead of amplifying divisive and inhuman perspectives, let us turn our attention to celebrating the powerful, nation-building contributions of Tribal Nations to the United States. NCAI encourages all Americans to learn more about the many contributions that Native peoples and Tribal Nations have made and continue to make to this country. Visit a Tribal Nation near you, explore the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., or New York, read from abundant award-winning literature produced by American Indians and Alaska Natives. We encourage all media outlets, elected leaders, educators, and individual Americans to uplift these living stories of service, innovation, and cultural resilience. In centering these and other Native achievements, we reject hatred and misinformation, celebrate our Tribal sovereignty, and honor our shared community and history. Statement by John E. Echohawk, Executive Director, Native American Rights Fund Yesterday, pundit Ann Coulter stated on X (formerly Twitter) that 'we didn't kill enough Indians.' The post was shared more than a million times. As a writer and a lawyer, Coulter knows that words matter, especially for someone with her platform. Suggesting that Native Americans—whose communities and cultures persist and thrive despite the American government having systematically taken Native lands, children, religions, and lives—deserve to die or were not persecuted enough, is ignorant and abhorrent, this language is not new. Getting rid of Native Americans has been the stated goal of a slew of U.S. policies from the Trail of Tears to the Termination Era. One hundred years ago, policy makers engaged in cultural genocide: killing the Indian to save the man. Many advocated to just kill the Indians. Genocidal language aimed at Native Americans was supposed to be something of the past. It was something that mainstream society had rejected and moved past—until Coulter's call on all those who are decent, who have moral values, to denounce this type of hate speech. We should not treat each other in this way. The dark history of the United States' policies towards Native people should not be repeated. Join us in standing up for the rights of Native people and preserving our existence for generations to come. Statement by the National Indian Health Board The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) condemns the genocidal and hateful statement made by Ann Coulter: 'We didn't kill enough Indians.' This is not free speech, it is hate speech. And its consequences extend far beyond the digital space. This kind of language is not a joke. It is violence—violence that echoes through generations, reopens wounds, and contributes to the devastating rates of depression, suicide, and trauma that too many of our Native youth are forced to carry. Words like these are not abstract; they directly impact how young Native people see themselves, their safety, and their worth in a country that has already tried to erase them. Our communities are still healing from government-sanctioned boarding schools that attempted to strip Native children of their language, culture, and identity. These systems created lasting intergenerational trauma—trauma that Native families continue to confront and work through today. Reckoning with this truth is part of the healing process. READ Native News Online's Editor Levi Rickert's Opinion on Ann Clouter's Remark 'Our children hear these words. They internalize them. And far too often, they are left to wonder if their lives matter in the eyes of this country,' said NIHB Chairman William 'Chief Bill' Smith, Valdez Native and Alaska Area Representative. 'When prominent voices glorify genocide, it sends a dangerous message—that Native people are less than human. That message threatens the mental health, identity, and future of Native youth everywhere.' NIHB joins with Tribal Nations and Native organizations across the country in calling for a full retraction, public apology, and immediate accountability from all levels of leadership and media. We further urge social media platforms like X to enforce community standards and ban voices that incite racial hatred and violence. From suicide prevention to cultural revitalization, NIHB and its partners work every day to help Native youth heal from historical and contemporary trauma. But we cannot do this work alone. We need a country that respects our children enough to condemn hate without hesitation. Native Nations contributed to the earliest forms of American democracy and continue to lead in public health, medicine, and community care. These truths must be honored. As Americans, we must not repeat or excuse past harms—we must learn from them and walk forward together in healing and truth. There is no health without respect. There is no healing without truth. And there is no excuse for celebrating genocide. Statement by Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr., Cherokee Nation Ann Coulter's post this evening on X that 'we didn't kill enough Indians,' is beyond abhorrent. It is dangerous hate speech designed to inflict damage on a marginalized community and designed to arouse support in the deepest darkest gutters of social media. Although it is tempting to decline to dignify her regressive attack on Native Americans, I cannot and will not. This is no time for timidity. Coulter's statement, on its face, is a despicable rhetorical shot trained on the First Peoples of this continent, designed to dehumanize and diminish us and our ancestors and puts us at risk of further injury. We have faced enough of that since this country's founding. Such rhetoric has aided and abetted the destruction of tribes, their life ways, languages and cultures, the violation of treaty rights, violence, oppression, suppression and dispossession. It should not be lost on any of us that Coulter's lament that 'we didn't kill enough Indians' takes place against the backdrop of our relatively low average life expectancies, high suicide rates and the epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous people, just to name a few aspects of our continuing struggle. The cruelty of Coulter's comments are, of course, self-evident to decent human beings from all quarters. We have made much progress in the United States as it relates to federal Indian policy. Conservatives, liberals, Republicans and Democrats have had a hand in advancing this cause, which is so special to me as Chief of the nation's largest tribe, particularly over the last half century. Coulter's statement tonight would be extreme even by 19th century standards (though I believe President Andrew Jackson would like and share her post if he lived among us today.) Though her star power has faded over the decades, Ann Coulter remains an opinion leader in the United States and beyond. Her account on 'X,' formerly Twitter, has 2.1 million followers. Her post has been shared over 1.4 million times as of this writing. She is a published author and appears frequently in television media. Her opinion, though peppered over the years with vitriolic attacks on marginalized populations, matters. It is not simply that Coulter chose to attack Native Americans that moves me to speak out this evening. It is my deep concern that these sorts of attacks aimed at minorities and other marginalized populations in the country is at risk of being normalized. Her attack does not take place in a vacuum and it is not an outlier. It occurs at a time attacks on marginalized populations seem to be on repeat, used to score political points, to advance policy agendas, and sometimes to scare people to advance all of that and more. The country frequently seems on the verge of political violence. Coulter's post implicitly encourages it. We can get used to the frequent attacks and watch silently as this group and that group is dehumanized and diminished. Hatred in the public will become white noise, accepted as 'just the way it is.' Alternatively, we can speak out against it. What Ann Coulter said is heartless, vicious and should be repudiated by people of good faith regardless of political philosophy or party. Some things are simply wrong and we cannot validate it through our silence. I will not and cannot chase every hateful social media comment aimed at Native Americans. But, at a moment when I remain optimistic that people of good will across parties, faiths, philosophies, regions, races, political status can work to unify the country, denouncing Ann Coulter's regret that we 'did not kill enough Indians' is surely the right thing to do. Please join me. Statement by Chief Ben Barnes (Shawnee Tribe), Chairperson, United Indian Nations of Oklahoma United Indian Nations of Oklahoma condemns Ann Coulter's comments on Native Americans Shawnee Chief and UINO Chairperson Ben Barnes today released the following statement repudiating conservative media pundit Ann Coulter's inflammatory statement regarding Native Americans. 'Ann Coulter's vile comment that 'we didn't kill enough Indians' is not only morally repugnant—it is a stain on the conscience of this country. As a Tribal Nation whose people endured forced removals, massacres, broken treaties, and generations of erasure, we do not need reminders of America's darkest chapters. We live with the consequences every day—yet we continue to stand, speak our language, raise our children in our traditions, and govern ourselves with dignity. Ms. Coulter's words dishonor every value this nation claims to uphold, and they have no place in any civilized let us be clear: we do not respond with hate. We respond with truth, resilience, and the strength of our ancestors. We are still here. We are still sovereign. And we are not going anywhere.' About the Author: "Native News Online is one of the most-read publications covering Indian Country and the news that matters to American Indians, Alaska Natives and other Indigenous people. Reach out to us at editor@ " Contact: news@
