KC football team has announced plans to celebrate Native American Heritage Month during Monday night’s game against the Eagles as they continue to appropriate Native American culture and instigate racist behavior. We at Not in Our Honor want to remind people that the team’s continued use of stereotypes and Native American imagery in their branding, including inviting Native people to bang the drum as the “drum honoree,” while encouraging fans to chant and do the tomahawk chop is in no way honoring Native nations. Research has shown these stereotypes increase incidents of harm and violence against Native people. Native Americans deserve better.
Sunday November 19th was #RedShawlDay, a day set aside to bring awareness to the fact Native women/Alaskan Native women go missing and murdered at a rate 10 percent higher than any other ethnicity. These statistics are among the reasons most Native Americans oppose the use of mascots, imagery and stereotypes. In 2005, we sadly lost Lakota Renville, Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, who was found a few miles from the stadium. Her killer has still not been found.
“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
Recently the KC football team indicated its pride in working with local and national Native American groups to educate themselves and their fans, however, the people most affected are located in Kansas City, and local Native-led and Native-serving organizations are protesting this continued racism. National groups, like National Congress of American Indians, has made its position clear since the 1960s, with a campaign for the Elimination of Race-Based Native Logos, Mascots, Names, Behaviors and Practices and passed a resolution specifically against KC Football team’s continued racist behavior as recently as 2020. https://notinourhonor.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/pdx-20-042-signed.pdf
Until the use of Native-themed branding and stereotypes is no longer accepted by society, the team has shown it will continue to use it and find ways to justify it. We implore you to see through the rhetoric and help us “end racism.” Our petition to change the name and cease the use of Native American imagery and branding has gained more than 20,000 signatures. Join us in letting the team know Native Americans deserve better. www.Endracimskc.org
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. 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 