13 July 2020
The Washington Redskins announced Monday that the NFL team plans to change its name.
Why it matters: It brings an end to years of debate around the name — considered by many to be racist toward Native Americans. The change was jumpstarted by nationwide protests against systemic racism in the U.S. this summer.
- Team owner Dan Snyder had long been famously opposed to changing the name, arguing that it "represents honor, respect and pride."
- He changed his stance following a wave of pressure, especially from corporate sponsors, amid the ongoing national dialogue about racism.
- The organization said that the team's new name will be revealed at a later date.
The backdrop,via the Washington Post: "The origin of the word 'redskin' has long been disputed by linguists, Native American activists who consider it a slur, and those who insist that the name of Washington’s football team honors Indians rather than disparages them."
The state of play: The team began a formal review of the team's name on July 3, a day after three major sponsors — PepsiCo, Bank of America and FedEx (which has its name on the team's stadium) — publicly requested a name change.
- On the same day that FedEx and others took action, Nike pulled Redskins merchandise from its website. Five days later, Amazon did the same.
What they're saying: "It's never too late to do the right thing, and if you do the right thing for the wrong reasons, it doesn't really matter," Carla Fredericks, member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation told the Post.
- "We need to be seen in all of our humanity, and not as a caricature, because that impacts policy and how people interact with Native Americans every day. We are not your mascot," Crystal Echo Hawk, founder of IllumiNative told Axios.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.
