Washington Redskins team name has racist origins
There’s been lots of debate about whether or not the Washington Redskins should change their name.
Some say that it’s just a name while others feel that it’s dehumanizing to Native Americans.
But some new evidence has allowed us to take a deeper look into the name’s origin.
When George Preston Marshall died in 1969, he left some money to his children but directed that the bulk of his estate be used to set up a foundation in his name. He attached, however, one firm condition: that the foundation, operating out of Washington, D.C., should not direct a single dollar toward “any purpose which supports or employs the principle of racial integration in any form.” Think about that. This was not 1929 or 1949. Even in 1960 such a diktat might have been, well, “understandable” in a Southern city such as Washington then was. This is the man who gave the Washington Redskins their name.
According to the Daily Beast, Marshall thought Redskins, war paint and feather headdress was funny; making the head coach wear the latter.
Does this new-found information change your perspective?
Should the NFL team’s name be changed?
Sound off below!