Rhonda LeValdo founded and leads a group called Not In Our Honor, which aims to fight against the use of Native American imagery and references in sports, and that includes the Kansas City Chiefs.
Ahead of this year’s Super Bowl showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, LeValdo and dozens of other Indigenous activists traveled to Las Vegas to protest and demand the team change its name, get rid of its, logo, and end its in-game rituals that they claim are offensive.
“I’ve spent so much of my personal time and money on this issue. I really hoped that our kids wouldn’t have to deal with this,” LeValdo said according to the Associated Press. “But here we go again.”
LeValdo pointed out the irony of the Chiefs and the NFL using phrases like “End Racism” on helmet decals and in the end zone while still using a name and in-game chants that Native Americans view as racist.
“We were like, ‘Wow, you guys put this on the helmets and on the field, but look at your name and what you guys are doing,’” LeValdo said.
LeValdo said that her anger at the situation is fueled by the oppression, killing, and displacement of her ancestors while people now use them as caricatures.
“We weren’t even allowed to be Native American. We weren’t allowed to practice our culture. We weren’t allowed to wear our clothes,” she said. “But it’s OK for Kansas City fans to bang a drum, to wear a headdress and then to act like they’re honoring us? That doesn’t make sense.”
We’ll have to see whether or not the Chiefs choose to change their name.
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