Edmonton Eskimos defend racist name as Redskins look to change theirs
A Canadian Football League team with a name that’s a racial slur against the Inuit is once again standing by its moniker as an NFL team south of the border finally contemplates changing its offensive name.
The Washington Redskins, widely seen as a racist name that’s derogatory toward Indigenous peoples, launched a review Friday after criticism from sponsor FedEx.
— Washington Redskins (@Redskins) July 3, 2020
NFL insider Ian Rapoport is reporting today that a name change is “likely.”
Here in Canada, many people are once again calling on the Edmonton Eskimos to change their name as well.
“I’m a real live Inuk and I’m here to say change the name,” tweeted Amy Beatrice.
Hey @EdmontonEsks! I’m a real live Inuk & I’m here to say #ChangeTheName!
Here’s my suggestion for a good alternative if you want a name that has the same flow but isn’t a racial slur! I even gave you a handy template to follow when announcing your name change!#NotYourMascot pic.twitter.com/ppQ630OFwi
— a m y ❄️ (@amybeatrice) July 3, 2020
In a tweet Friday, Edmonton’s football team referred to a review it conducted several months ago where it found “no consensus among the Inuit people and considerable support for the Eskimos name among Inuit in various parts of northern Canada.”
The team isn’t planning to change its name, but said it would “ramp up” engagement with the “Inuit communities to assess their views.”
— Edmonton Eskimos (@EdmontonEsks) July 3, 2020
Many on Twitter criticized the team for concluding a lack of consensus should mean keeping the name, including Nunavut MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq who also pointed out their incorrect use of the word “Inuit.”
“Among the Inuit people”
Inuit = people
Inuit people = people people— Mumilaaq Qaqqaq (@MumilaaqQaqqaq) July 3, 2020