Former professional basketball player turned ESPN analyst Jalen Rose created a firestorm of controversy this month when he said in a Twitter video that he finds it “offensive” when people use “Mount Rushmore” to describe the four greatest of something, as the iconic giant sculpture was built “on top of dead bodies.”
Can we retire using ‘Mount Rushmore?’ That should be offensive to all of us, especially Native Americans, Indigenous people who were the first people here before Christopher Columbus,” Rose said in his Twitter video. “That land was stolen from them when it was discovered that it contained gold.”
“and 25 years later, to add insult to injury, four American presidents were put on what we call Mount Rushmore on the top of the dead bodies that [are] buried right underneath. So, I call for you and for myself — I’m owning this, too — let’s stop using the term ‘Mount Rushmore’ when we’re talking about our favorite rappers, talking about our favorite movies, talking about our favorite players.”
Rose went on to compare the term to the names of sports franchises who had to change their monikers because of their offensive nature.
“Why do you think Washington changed their name from Redskins? I do a show and didn’t say that word for eight years,” he said. “Because it’s offensive. What about the Cleveland Indians? Same thing. Why did they change the name? Because it’s offensive.”
Because of his comments, Republican Rep. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota introduced a bill to protect the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in response to what he had to say. The Mount Rushmore Protection Act prohibits the use of federal funds “to alter, change, destroy or remove the likeness, the name of or any of the faces on the Mount Rushmore National Memorial,” according to a press release from Johnson’s office.
“The four presidents on Mount Rushmore championed the cause of freedom,” Johnson told Fox News Digital in a statement.
“Our nation has an imperfect past, but the calls to cancel Mount Rushmore will not move our nation forward. My legislation ensures the protection and beauty of Mount Rushmore for generations to come.”
Rose pointed to the recent name changes of the Washington Commanders and the Cleveland Guardians, calling their original names “offensive.”
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NBA stories via Google! Follow Us
“Why do you think Washington changed their name from Redskins? I do a show and didn’t say that word for eight years,” he said. “Because it’s offensive. What about the Cleveland Indians? Same thing. Why did they change the name? Because it’s offensive.”
Washington retired its former name in July 2020 after decades of complaints just like MLB’s Cleveland franchise, which had been known as the Indians since 1915, officially changed its name to the Guardians following the 2021 season.
