ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION No. 176

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

216th LEGISLATURE

INTRODUCED OCTOBER 16, 2014

 

 

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman  PATRICK J. DIEGNAN, JR.

District 18 (Middlesex)

Assemblyman  RALPH R. CAPUTO

District 28 (Essex)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Calls on owner of Washington D.C. football team to change team's name to reflect heritage and contributions of Native Americans to American life.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As introduced.

 

An Assembly Resolution calling on the owner of the Washington D.C. professional football team to change its name to one that reflects the heritage and contributions of Native Americans to American life.

 

Whereas, A large number of Native American organizations, leaders representing tribes all over the United States, and Native American peoples believe that the name of the Washington's professional football team is at best offensive and at worse a degrading racial slur; and

Whereas, National political leaders of this country from both major political parties, including President Obama, have called on team owner Daniel Synder to change the name of the team; and

Whereas, Prominent civil rights leaders and state legislators in the District of Columbia, California and New York have passed legislation calling on the team to end the use of what many people believe is a racist epithet; and

Whereas, The belief that the name of the team is offensive was reinforced by the United States Patent and Trademark Office in June of 2014 when it cancelled the team's trademarks because they are disparaging to Native Americans; and

Whereas, A number of schools and amateur leagues that host and promote the game of football, including Miami University of Ohio, have recognized the offensiveness of a name that is derogatory to Native Americans and changed the name of their team to reflect the history or heritage of Native Americans; and

Whereas, Native Americans have made many significant contributions to American life from the food we eat, to the clothing we wear, to the games we play, to the names of our cities and states; and

Whereas,  More than 8,000 Native Americans volunteered and served this country during World War I and more than 24,000 volunteered and served this country during World War II, including the Navajo Code Talkers who used their language to create a secret communications code that was never broken by America's enemies; and

Whereas, Native Americans have excelled in many distinguished fields, including Jim Thorp (football), Johnny Bench (baseball), Charles Curtis (Vice President of the United States), Maria Tallchief (ballet), and Johnny Cash (entertainer); and

Whereas, New Jersey was once home to the Lenni-Lenape Indians, a tribe that was part of the Algonquin Nation, and there are reminders of the tribe's history and heritage in the State today, including the names of lakes, streams and municipalities; and

Whereas, It is therefore fitting and proper that this House call on the owner of the Washington D.C. professional football team to change its name to one that reflects the heritage and contributions of Native Americans to American life; now, therefore,

     Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

     1.    This House calls on the owner of the Washington D.C. professional football team to change its name to one that reflects the heritage and contributions of Native Americans to American life.

 

     2.  Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to Don Snyder, the owner of the Washington D.C. professional football team, the owners of the other professional football teams in the National Football League and the commissioner thereof, and to the leaders of the major Native American organizations in this country.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

     This Assembly Resolution calls on the owner of the Washington D.C. professional football team to change its name to one that reflects the heritage and contributions of Native Americans to American life.