As the 2024 NFL season starts Not In Our Honor and the Kansas City Indian Center continue to call for the immediate retirement of the Kansas City name, logo, and any and all Native American appropriation owned and used by the team. This includes, but is not limited to, the “big drum” at home events, abolishment of the “tomahawk chop” chant at all sports venues and any and all Native American appropriation that occurs within their franchise and in the football stadium.
We want the fans to know how the use of Native themed mascots are demeaning, perpetuate stereotypes of Native people, fall in line with mass cultural appropriation, and do not signify honor.
Scholarly psychological studies demonstrate Native American mascots cause harm to Native American children and increase the explicit and implicit bias and racism against all minority people. The American Psychological Association has called for the immediate retirement of Native mascots in 2005 and many other Native organizations, as well as Native leaders, educators, historians, and artists have long called for the end of racist Native mascots/names.
In light of Kansas City’s City Council unanimously approving a resolution declaring racism as a public health crisis in 2019, and acknowledging systemic racism occurs in Kansas City, it is imperative to also acknowledge the racism experienced by the Native American people living and working in Kansas City and surrounding area due to Kansas City football team’s imagery and branding permeating every facet of the Kansas City region. There has been no reconciliation despite the team leadership’s claims of change and their hand-picked “working group.” The small changes they have made, i.e., banning headdresses and face paint, make it obvious they are aware all of their imagery and branding is problematic at best.
We all need to evaluate why the city of Kansas City continues to tolerate being represented on the global stage by a football team using stereotypes of a race of human beings, their sacred objects and imagery as its mascot. We need to take a hard look at all of our roles in allowing this to continue. We have heretofore not seen pressure put on the team’s leadership by state, county, or city leadership to end the racism and discrimination inherent in the team’s imagery and in the fan behavior they instigate, which occurs in public infrastructure and is funded with our tax dollars.
The Kansas City football team MUST change its name and imagery. It is what is best for Kansas City, our city’s image as a world-class city, and the overall health and mental wellbeing of ALL of its residents.
Not In Our Honor 