When companies, sports teams and individuals alike posted black squares as part of “Blackout Tuesday,” a pro-racial justice social media trend earlier this week, the Washington Redskins’ participation rang a bit hollow for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat.
“Want to really stand for racial justice? Change your name,” Miss Ocasio-Cortez responded in a quote-tweet.
The 30-year-old first-term congresswoman, known for her large social media presence and following, picked up more than 100,000 retweets on the post.
The Redskins have not issued a formal team statement about the death of George Floyd and ensuing protests around the country, as many professional sports teams have done, but the team’s account has amplified some of its players’ voices on the subject, including Adrian Peterson, Chase Young and Jimmy Moreland.
Senate Democrats wrote a letter in 2014 urging the team to change its name, arguing it is offensive to Native Americans. In 2016, a poll commissioned by the Washington Post found that 90% of the Native Americans it surveyed said they were not bothered by the team nickname.
Team owner Dan Snyder has said he will never change the name.
Want to really stand for racial justice? Change your name. https://t.co/XTlIJrfNx4
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 2, 2020
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