Not In Our Honor Coalition was outside the stadium protesting the continued use of the Tomahawk chop, stereotypes, and appropriation of Native American Culture yesterday, 9/24/2023, when we saw the police escort of Taylor Swift into the stadium.
We remain hopeful that an outside influence like Ms. Swift could be an ally for us in moving the conversation forward on why the chop is a racist act. To us, that hand gesture is synchronized racism. We implore Ms. Swift to take the time to understand our perspective and the scientific and psychological research into the harm to youth and communities caused by such behavior. We ask for people to learn about our shared history, the real history of this country, not the sanitized version many learned in school. Our culture was stripped from us and we were not allowed to practice it for hundreds of years, yet our culture continues to be mocked for sport and profit despite decades of protest by Natives and Native organizations and recommendations by national psychological, educational and sociological associations.
Not In Our Honor is a coalition of local Native American leaders and American Indian organizations in the Kansas City metropolitan area who have been speaking out against the use of Native American stereotypes and misappropriation of Native American culture. Additionally, Not In Our Honor sponsored a resolution adopted by the National Congress of American Indians’ (NCAI) in 2020 to include in NCAI’s decades-long campaign for the Elimination of Race-Based Native Logos, Mascots, Names, Behaviors and Practices. https://notinourhonor.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/pdx-20-042-signed.pdf
“We hope that evidence of harm caused by and retirement of Native-themed mascots across the country prompts other professional and school sports teams to assess and retire their Native-themed mascots, names, images and logos, and associated fan and game-day rituals that contribute to the negative health disparities of AI/AN people, youth, and communities.” Twenty Years Of Research Into The Health Impacts Of Native-Themed Mascots: A Scoping Review; Sierra Watt, MA, Ian Record, PhD, and Yvette Roubideaux, MD, MPH https://coloradosph.cuanschutz.edu/research-and-practice/centers-programs/caianh/journal/past-volumes/volume29
In 2005, the American Psychological Association called for the immediate retirement of all American Indian mascots, symbols, images and personalities by schools, colleges, universities, athletic teams and organizations, stating “Research has shown that the continued use of American Indian mascots, symbols, images and personalities has a negative effect on not only American Indian students but all students…” https://www.apa.org/pi/oema/resources/indian-mascots
Eighteen years after the APA report, the Kansas City Football team states on their website, “The Chiefs are committed to ensuring that our actions as a club honor American Indians.” Their name, imagery and behavior does not and will not honor us and Not In Our Honor Coalition will continue to protest their use of Native American imagery, culture, and heritage until they change their name and imagery to reflect the rhetoric painted in their endzone, “End Racism.”
Not In Our Honor Coalition http://www.NotInOurHonor.com
Rhonda LeValdo, Amanda Blackhorse, Thomas Ed Smith, Jimmy Beason, Shereena Becenti, Carole Cadue-Blackwood, Gaylene Crouser, American Indian Council-Region VII; and the staff and board of Kansas City Indian Center
Not In Our Honor 