Not In Our Honor statement on KC football game in Germany
The KC football team is traveling to Germany this Native American Heritage Month and will continue to perpetuate Native American cultural appropriation to a global audience. We at Not in Our Honor want to remind the world that the team’s continued use of stereotypes and Native American imagery in their branding, including inviting honored guests to bang the drum to their Hollywood-esque song while encouraging fans to chant and do the tomahawk chop belies their recent statement on Indigenous People’s Day wherein they purport to be educating themselves and their fans.
In October 2023, on Indigenous Peoples Day, the team stated, “we remain committed to working with local and national groups to educate ourselves and our fans, while also using the power of our brand and platform to raise awareness of American Indian culture and traditions.” The groups most affected by their racism, the organizations located in Kansas City, are not the organizations they are committed to working with nor do they work with national groups like National Congress of American Indians or Illuminatives, as they have also taken steps to formally make statements and pass resolutions specifically against KC Football team’s continued racist behavior.
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.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/pdx-20-042-signed.pdf
We implore Germany, and the rest of the world, to come to the realization that despite the popularity of the team and the game, the inherent racism in Native-themed branding is harmful to actual Native Americans. There is decades of scientific evidence of the harm to youth and communities caused by these behaviors.
“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
Until the use of Native-themed branding is no longer socially acceptable, the team will continue to use it. We implore you to help us “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 