SEATTLE, WA | Today, the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI), in coordination with the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), are launching a joint #ChangeTheMascot social media campaign targeting Seattle, Washington and leading up to the NFL’s Washington Football Team vs. Seattle Seahawks game on Sunday, November 5, 2017 at 4:05 p.m. Eastern time.

“Sunday’s game features a stark contrast between the two teams,” said NCAI President Jefferson Keel. “The Seattle Seahawks have demonstrated how an NFL team can and should work respectfully with Native nations. It collaborated with Indian Country to ensure that its logo is culturally appropriate and honors Native heritage. Conversely, the Washington team chooses to dishonor and disrespect Native peoples through its continued use of its name and logo. NCAI remains committed to its decades-long fight to see that this dictionary-defined racial slur is thrown into the dustbin of history.”

“We are long-past the point of debate,” said ATNI President Leonard Forsman, Chairman of the Suquamish Tribe. “The Washington Football Team’s name and its archaic caricature of First Americans are demeaning and damaging to Native people. We must unite our efforts against this injustice and demand that the league recognize that the use of culturally offensive names and mascots will not be tolerated by the people of this nation. “

“Redsk*n is the single most offensive name you can call an Indian,” stated Chairman Brian Cladoosby of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. “I have been around this Nation and engaged with people of all races, and let me say this: there is no racial group that would stand for a team name that disrespected and demeaned their cultural identity. But yet here Native people remain, embroiled in a fight against this deplorable treatment that has lasted for decades.”

As tribal nations continue to advocate against harmful mascots, ATNI and NCAI have created a social media toolkit featuring messages and images to share on social media platforms. The campaign includes a Twibbon campaign to add to your Twitter and Facebook profile pictures. It also includes a Snapchat filter to add to pictures or videos taken around the stadium on the app. Please see the toolkit here: http://bit.ly/2h1Uyf8. The campaign will run from Friday, November 3, 2017 through Monday, November 6, 2017 with the hashtag #ChangeTheMascot.

To learn more about #ChangeTheMascot, please see the full campaign here: www.ncai.org/proudtobe and www.ChangeTheMascot.org.

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About the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians:

Incorporated in 1953, ATNI is comprised of nearly 50 Tribal governments in the greater Northwest region and is dedicated to Tribal Sovereignty and Self Determination. ATNI is an organization whose foundation is composed of the people it is meant to serve — the Indian people.

About the National Congress of American Indians:
Founded in 1944, the National Congress of American Indians is the oldest, largest and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization in the country. NCAI advocates on behalf of tribal governments and communities, promoting strong tribal-federal government-to-government policies, and promoting a better understanding among the general public regarding American Indian and Alaska Native governments, people and rights. For more information, visit www.ncai.org.