GENEVA (11 April 2014) – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, James Anaya, today called on the owners of the Washington Redskins Football team, to consider “the hurtful reminder that the term ‘redskins’ represents of the long history of mistreatment of Native American people in the United States.”
“While I am aware that there are some divergent views on this issue,” the human rights expert said, “I urge the team owners to consider that the term ‘redskin’ for many is inextricably linked to a history of suffering and dispossession, and that it is understood to be a pejorative and disparaging term that fails to respect and honour the historical and cultural legacy of the Native Americans in the US.”
In a 2012 report on the situation of indigenous peoples in the US, the Special Rapporteur likewise stressed that “the use of stereotypes obscures understanding of the reality of Native Americans today and instead help to keep alive racially discriminatory attitudes.“