The Washington Redskins joined other major sports teams on Tuesday by posting a black photo with a hashtag of “BlackOutTuesday.” The gesture was to show solidarity in protesting last week’s killing of George Floyd in the hands of Minneapolis police.
The Redskins likely should’ve stayed away from this movement.
New York City Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took to Twitter and attacked the team, saying if the team really wants to help change social justice, it should start by looking into a mirror.
“Want to really stand for racial justice? Change your name,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote in response.
Redskins have faced this type of scrutiny about their name for decades, but the franchise has never budged on wanting to change it.
In 2004, a poll of 768 self-identified Indians showed that only nine percent of them were offended by Washington’s nickname, and owner Daniel Snyder uses that data to this very day to defend the Redskins organization and brand.
