Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Redskins: 'Change your name'
Following the death of George Floyd, many professional sports organizations across the country made posts with black squares on Tuesday using the hashtag "#BlackOutTuesday" on social media to address racial injustice.
One of those teams who joined in on the movement has a very controversial name, and politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was quick to call out the organization for their condemning of racism and police brutality, specifically because of the team's offensive name and logo.
The Redskins changed their name from the Braves in 1933 and have been under protest by Native American groups and others for the past 40 years regarding the offensiveness of the current name. Washington owner Dan Snyder continues to refuse a name change despite a few different court battles.
A 2019 poll of Native Americans showed that a majority found the team name offensive, according to USA Today, but Snyder claims he'll "never" change the name.
Other professional sports organizations also have controversial names, including MLB's Cleveland Indians and the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks, both of whom have no plans to change their name despite the offensiveness.
AOC's comments and the "#BlackOutTuesday" campaign comes after Floyd, an African American man, died last week while being violently apprehended by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
The 46-year-old was pinned to the ground by Chauvin, who then proceeded to kneel on his neck and prevent him from breathing. Floyd pleaded for his life and even told officer Chauvin he couldn't breathe, but Chauvin refused to move off his neck.
Floyd was later pronounced dead at the hospital, and Chauvin was arrested Friday on charges of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
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