I came across this article during a native news sweep. At first, it covers trod ground in the latest lost battle with the racist Redskins organization. But then I came across Professor John Banzhaf in the article, and I realized that maybe this battle isn't going to be as long as I thought. Banzhafs' background is a series of accomplishments for minorities, victories for common decency and triumphs for the downtrodden.
I look forward to Banzhaf and his actions in the future. They can only be good for Indian Country.
from PR Inside.com:
Banzhaf -- whose legal actions at the FCC led to antismoking messages on the air, the ban on cigarette commercials, the ban on ads for "little cigars," and to the first appearance of Blacks in significant roles on TV stations -- has proposed that American Indian groups oppose the renewal of FCC broadcast licenses for stations which continually and unnecessarily
use the 'R-word' [like the N-word] on the grounds that their broadcasts are racially and ethnically offensive.
He notes a unanimous finding by three judges that the word "redskin" is "a derogatory term of reference for Native Americans" and tended to bring them "into contempt or disrepute" when used by a professional football team.
He also points to the findings of the California Dept. of Motor Vehicles that the word is an offensive disparaging term, the Utah State Tax Commission holding that the word is "derogatory" towards African Americans, the strong position against the use of the word by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and the official policy of the NCAA prohibiting the use of "hostile and abusive" Indian-related names in postseason championships. banzhaf.net/noredskins/
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