(USNewsMag.com) – The Native American Guardians Association (NAGA) is requesting the NFL change the name of the Washington Commanders back to the Washington Redskins.
In a letter, NAGA founder and president Eunice Davidson says that changing the name back to the Redskins will help to recognize America’s original inhabitants as well as “encourage Americans to learn about” the history of the “America’s tribes.”
The letter says that the Redskin name honors the bravery, resilience, and warrior spirit” of the “Native American culture.” His letter goes on to request a working group meeting with the owners and key leadership of the team to “begin further dialogue on next steps.”
Davidson’s letter also mentions boycotting the team if the name is not changed back. He says the boycott will be “similar to what happened to Anheuser Busch.”
The letter was written as part of the group’s National Advocacy Campaign to end the “cancel culture” of Native Americans called “Educate Not Eradicate.”
According to Healy Baumgardner, the president of Global Impact Campaigns for NAGA, the letter was written after the group’s multiple requests to meet with the owners and leadership team of the Commanders were ignored. Baumgardner stated it was “time to apply public pressure.”
According to the NAGA website, Davidson is an enrolled member of the Spirit Lake Tribe from North Dakota, as well as a full-blood Dakota Sioux.
“Reclaim the Name,” an online petition supporting the name change, has gone viral with more than 75,000 signatures currently after being shared on Twitter.
The Redskin name had been associated with the team since its inception. In 1933, the Boston Braves first became the Boston Redskins. For the 1937 season, the team moved to Washington, becoming the Washington Redskins. At the beginning of the 2020 season, the team dropped the Redskins name as well as logo and became the Washington Football Team. In 2022, the team announced the new name, the Washington Commanders.
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