Elizabeth Warren is not Native American, but she played one for the law professor directory used for hiring in the 1980s as she was climbing the ladder to Harvard Law School. After she got tenure at HLS, she stopped filling out her forms that way.
In 2014, Warren signed a letter to the NFL Commissions, along with dozens of other Democratic Senators, calling on the league to take action against the Washington Redskins for using the name “Redskins”:
The NFL can no longer ignore this and perpetuate the use of this name as anything but what it is: a racial slur. We urge the NFL to formally support and push for a name change for the Washington football team.
I understand why some people may view the name as offensive. But according to a Washington Post poll just released, almost all actual Native Americans don’t oppose the use of the name:
Nine in 10 Native Americans say they are not offended by the Washington Redskins name, according to a new Washington Post poll that shows how few ordinary Indians have been persuaded by a national movement to change the football team’s moniker.The survey of 504 people across every state and the District reveals that the minds of Native Americans have remained unchanged since a 2004 poll by the Annenberg Public Policy Center found the exact same result. Responses to The Post’s questions about the issue were broadly consistent regardless of age, income, education, political party or proximity to reservations.Among the Native Americans reached over a five-month period ending in April, more than 7 in 10 said they did not feel the word “Redskin” was disrespectful to Indians. An even higher number — 8 in 10 — said they would not be offended if a non-native called them that name.
I wonder what the results had been if Native Americans were asked whether they were offended by the name of a cookbook “Pow Wow Chow” and fake “Cherokee” dishes such as “Cold Omelets with Crab Meat” and “Crab with Tomato Mayonnaise Dressing.”
Or claiming that native ancestry is proven by high cheekbones.
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