Trump wants to ‘Make Indians Great Again' — by bringing back slurs to a school gymnasium near you

San Francisco Chronicle​

5 days ago

In 2014, a group of Native parents, including myself, launched the #NotYourMascot hashtag the night before the Super Bowl.
Despite our minority status, representing barely 1.5% of the U.S. population, we were determined to find a way to be heard in the (relatively) new public square of social media.
No, the Washington NFL team was not playing. But the Super Bowl was the most opportune moment to get our message out.
We informed only our closest associates and a select few Twitter accounts with large followings about our plan — and treated our new hashtag like a state secret, afraid it would get swamped by an army of bots. We devised a list of ready-made tweets to educate the general public about the harm caused by Native mascotry to the most vulnerable population in America — Native Americans have the highest suicide, poverty, murder and rape rates in the country.
The plan worked. 'Not Your Mascot' immediately trended — a powerful testament to the impact of collective action. It was probably the first American Indian hashtag to trend in the United States.
Now, nearly 12 years later, the president of the United States is trying to undo our work.
It's safe to say he did not read any of our tweets.
On July 20, President Donald Trump posted on social media: 'The Washington 'Whatever's' should IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team.'
The leader of the free world then threatened to derail the team's return to the Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington, D.C., after three decades in Maryland. The Commanders' owners are negotiating a nearly $4 billion deal with the D.C. City Council to make the move in 2030.
'I may put a restriction on them,' the president wrote, 'that if they don't change the name back to the original 'Washington Redskins,' and get rid of the ridiculous moniker, 'Washington Commanders,' I won't make a deal for them to build a Stadium in Washington…Cleveland should do the same with the Cleveland Indians.'
Trump may have written 'The Art of the Deal,' but if he had read our 140-character talking points, he would know that an Emory University study found that teams with American Indian mascots were off-putting to fans and the franchises were worth less than they would be without a race-based mascot.
Suzan Harjo, a Cheyenne elder who began suing the franchise in 1992, challenging the former owner Dan Snyder's trademarking of the slur 'R*dskins,' noted in her response to Trump that the 'Harjo curse' (the team's poor performance began the year she started her lawsuit) was only lifted after the team changed its name.
'It's a good example of how long it takes to shake really bad karma.'
Commanders managing partner Josh Harris had this to say in February: 'Now, in this building, the name Commanders means something. It's about players who love football, are great at football, hit hard, mentally tough, great teammates.'
Even the Washington Post, which conducted a flawed survey in 2016 that showed support for the former name (I addressed this in an article in The Nation at the time), found that its most recent survey showed 62% of fans prefer the new name following the team's most successful season in decades.
That, of course, should be that. But Trump's involvement in the mascot controversy goes beyond his recent social media posts or potential distractions from Jeffrey Epstein.
In May, Trump's secretary of education, Linda McMahon, announced on a visit to Massapequa High School on Long Island, N.Y., that the state could lose federal funding if they do not allow Native mascots.
In June, her department announced that its investigation into the New York Department of Education and the New York State Board of Regents' ban on 'mascots and logos that celebrate Native American history' was being handed over to the Department of Justice for enforcement. Under Trump, the department's civil rights office found the state ban discriminatory because mascotting other racial/ethnic groups, like 'Dutchmen' and the 'Huguenots,' is still allowed.
After arguing with R*dskins trolls online in 2013-2014, I am familiar with this view. We'd often hear, 'What about the Vikings or 'Fighting Irish'?'
Well, Vikings don't exist anymore, and going 'a Viking' was an activity, a job like being an oiler or packer. And it is not the sole way we know these groups.
For so many Americans, American Indians are no more than the stereotypes demonstrated at games: Tomahawk chops and Pocahottie outfits. White Americans, even descendants of Vikings, the Irish, Dutch, and Huguenots, are allowed an individuality that cannot be diminished by obnoxious stereotypes promoted by the mascotry of their ancestors.
'The Trump administration will not stand idly by as state leaders attempt to eliminate the history and culture of Native American tribes,' McMahon, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, assured Massapequa High School students, parents and alumni. The school is refusing to comply with New York state law and eliminate its Native American mascot.
After Trump's post on July 20, Kerry Wachter, the school board president of Massapequa, asked the president to sign an executive order allowing the school to retain its mascot. She claimed that banning mascots of Native people 'would erase this heritage, tear down this history and silence this legacy' in her Long Island town, which is 92.3% white, according to the U.S. Census.
Massapequa says it would cost the school $1 million to change its mascot. One million invested in a mascot? If true, that certainly informs you about the types of resources being dubiously invested in the American educational system. Money that would be better spent on genuine education and assistance to poor reservation schools. Even to tribal colleges, many of which have had their budgets practically cut to zero by Trump.
As we tweeted years ago, studies show that Native youth exposed to Native mascots have lower self-esteem. Not only that, but their ability to imagine themselves achieving their dreams decreases. And this is because, confronted with the dominant society's inability to see them as human and not a mascot, they retreat from the world and no longer have confidence in being a place where they can thrive.
That's why, as Native parents, NotYourMascot sought to educate through tweets. That's why we chose Not Your Mascot, which was an improvement on Change the Name, an earlier messaging effort.
We were taking our identity back for ourselves — and we were encouraging Americans of all backgrounds to engage with real Native people, cultures and lives, not mascots.
Jacqueline Keeler is a Diné/Dakota writer living in Portland, Ore., and the author of 'Standing Rock, the Bundy Movement, and the American Story of Sacred Lands.'