An appeal to MDC DSA members who live or work in Montgomery County:
I am a co-founder of a grassroots advocacy group called Rebrand Washington Football (http://www.rebrandwf.org) that has been asking Daniel Snyder, the owner of the Washington professional football team, to change the name of his team.
Montgomery County’s newly-elected Executive Marc Elrich has indicated to RWF that he will be introducing a resolution for the Council's consideration urging a name change.
The task is now to convince a majority of the council to support Mr. Elrich’s resolution. Please see the below letter, which can be used as a template to send to your councilmember. You can find the email address to reach your councilmember here: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/Council/. Let us know if you have any questions, and please carbon copy us on any letters you send. You can reach RWF at rebrandwf@gmail.com. Thank you for your consideration.
Sample Letter
Dear member of the county council:
It is our understanding that County Executive Marc Elrich will be introducing a resolution asking owner Daniel Snyder to change the name of the professional Washington football team. The name of the team is a dictionary-defined racial slur that perpetuates stereotypes and demeans Native Americans.
In 2005, the American Psychological Association (APA) passed a resolution calling for the immediate retirement of Native American mascots in schools and athletics in part because the APA determined that such mascots were detrimental to the learning environment of both non-Native and Native youth. Over 2,000 high schools have dropped Native American names and mascots and 28 have dropped the name R-skins.
In 2013, the District of Columbia Council passed a resolution asking Snyder to change the name of the team. The Arlington County Board followed in 2015.
If Montgomery County also adopts a resolution, local governments would be sending a strong signal to Daniel Snyder that it is time to change the name. A resolution would also serve as a valuable educational tool, increasing awareness in Montgomery County about the harms caused by the name and logo of the football team. Please pass a resolution asking Snyder to change the name of his team.
Again, let us know if you have any questions, and please carbon copy us on any letters you send. You can reach RWF at rebrandwf@gmail.com. Thank you for your consideration.
