by Pat Shelly
Last week’s decision denying patent protection to a football team’s racist mascot image is progress of a sort.
But for Hilary Weaver, professor of Social Work at the University at Buffalo, the “R word” has impact far outside the sports arena.
(Please note that due to the offensive nature of the name of the Washington D.C. NFL football team, I use the “R word” throughout. External links, however, may use it).
The “R Word’s” Painful Legacy
The “R word” is still in daily use. And so are the effects of its painful legacy. Hilary Weaver (Lakota) is professor and associate dean for academic affairs in the School of Social Work, University at Buffalo (UB). She was interviewed by the UB Reporter about the U.S. Patent Office decision to deny trademark protection for a racist sports team logo. She spoke about what the “R word” means for her family.
Shortly after joining the UB faculty, she attended a conference at a local hotel. The Buffalo Bills, Buffalo’s professional football team, were playing the Washington D.C. team. “Welcome R——-” read a huge banner in the hotel, where the visiting team was housed.
Years later, she and her two children attended a Buffalo Bisons baseball game. The opposing team was named the Indians. The home town fans’ verbal abuse of all things Indian was insulting and hateful. Her efforts to instill pride in her children about their Native American ancestry were being challenged by this overwhelming display of hostility.
In the beginning of a Buffalo News Buffalo News interview with Weaver, columnist Don Esmonde writes, “Of course it is personal. How could it not be?…Yes, it’s personal when [she] is raising two kids in what she hopes will be a more tolerant, less ignorant America. [And] finally, it was in-your-face personal, the time when Weaver’s world collided head-on with [owner of the Washington D.C. football team] Dan Snyder’s racial myopia.”
Why the “R Word” is a Matter of Human Rights
We are all entitled to our human rights, including those pertaining to protection against discrimination and hate speech:
– Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, “All persons are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”
– Article 6 assures everyone of equal protection before the law.
– Article 8 applies to equal access to legal remedy.
– Article 12 guarantees protection against attacks on one’s honor or reputation.
– Article 15 states that everyone has the right to a nationality.
It is appropriate that the United States, through the agency of the federal Office of Patents and Trademarks, took action to redress a denigrating action that breaches the assurance of dignity, conscience and community. Human rights is a framework with which we can measure just how observant our behaviors, policies, and practices are in honoring those rights.
The Patent Office Decision Against a Racist Logo
On June 23, 2014, the U.S. Patents and Trademarks Office denied any protection of the logo of an NFL team’s mascot as a trademark. Why? The successful suit was based on language in the U.S. Trademark Act, prohibiting protection of anything that may denigrate a person, institution, or belief. A wider application of this ruling could mean that federal laws will not be used to support any efforts to make profit off racial slurs.
Ongoing Challenges to the “R Word”
The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) has a comprehensive policy paper on the issue; it includes a record of successful efforts in changing the names of national and college sports teams. Such efforts began in 1968 – thirty-six years ago!
Change the Mascot aims to rid society of the disrespectful and belittling names and mascots of the NFL’s Washington D.C. football team and the Cleveland Indians American League baseball team among others. Despite the U.S. Patent Office victory, the mascot remains, even though it cannot be trademarked. Sales of caps and jerseys with the mascot still continue. Many colleges and municipal sports teams have changed names in order to remove the stigma of racism from this arena.
One of the latest protests against racism took place at the University of North Dakota during Springfest , when a group of students wore racially offensive T-shirts showing a cartoon head with a feather headdress and a beer bong (funnel) in his mouth. It was particularly offensive given the high rate of addiction to alcohol among Native Americans. The university dropped its “Fighting Sioux” nickname only in 2012.
Proud To Be
In June 2014, an ad called “Proud To Be” aired during the National Basketball Finals.
This same ad was denied any air time during the National Football League season. It is most effective in its portrayal of the diverse cultures and indigenous nations that are present within the boundaries of the United States. At its close, the narrator says: “Native Americans call themselves many things. The one thing they don’t…” is the “R word.” This is shown quite vividly by presenting an image of the Washington D.C. team’s helmet sitting in the middle of a football field.
The power of language, of naming, is recognized by all societies. Experiencing the racism shown by the use the “R word” can be traumatizing. As a Chinese proverb says, “The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names.”
What Do You Think?
How have you successfully challenged racist names? How can allies (anti-racist white people, for example) assist in confronting racism? What success story or example of progress can you share?
References
Anzalone, C. (2014, June 26). ‘R word’ patent decision strikes chord with social work professor. UB Reporter. Retrieved from http://www.buffalo.edu/ubreporter
Burleson, A. (2014, May 12). ‘Siouxper drunk’ t-shirts draw condemnation at UND. Twin Cities Pioneer Press. Retrieved from http://ww.twincities.com
Change the Mascot, with NCAI. (2014). Proud to Be [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.changethemascot.org
Esmonde, D. (2104, June 28). UB professor feels ‘R word’ sting. Buffalo News. Retrieved from http://www.buffalonews.com
National Congress of American Indians. (2013, October). Ending the legacy of racism in sorts and the era of harmful. “Indian” sports mascots. Retrieved from http://www.ncai.org
United Nations (n.d.). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/en/documents/undr/
Vargas, T. (2014, June 18). Federal agency cancels “R word” trademark registration, says name is disparaging. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com
Also of interest:
Profile of Hilary Weaver
Bisco, J. (2013, Fall). Indigenizing Academies: Promoting Native American presence in higher education. Mosaics: News from the University at Buffalo School of Social Work. Retrieved from http://socialwork.buffalo.edu/content/dam/socialwork/home/mosaics/Mosaics-v8n1-2013-Fall.pdf#page=4
