CHANGE THE WASHINGTON TEAM NAME Amanda Black Horse is a fighter for Native rights. She explains the mascot problem: "At an NFL game in Kansas City, "people yelled, 'Go back to your reservation!' 'We won, you lost, get over it!' 'Go get drunk!' And so many different slurs … I've experienced racism in my lifetime, but to see it outwardly, and nobody did anything?" I spent my whole life watching my parents fight against racism. I myself have continued to fight that fight, in some cases literally, but more importantly today diplomatically and respectfully through education, and understanding. The energy in my heart has never changed and will not change until America is a better place. Today, I am teaming up with Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell to once again call upon Dan Snyder to see the light, do the right and change the team’s name. I’ve been on the NIKE 7 Champion’s Board for many years, and NIKE and FedEX have weighed in with Mr. Snyder to say, It’s time to change. THE SUPREME COURT MCGIRT DECISION Last week, in the McGirt case, the Supreme Court held that the Creek Nation Treaty setting aside half of Oklahoma as a permanent reservation remains valid. Joining the Court’s “liberal wing,” Justice Gorsuch explained: On the far end of the Trail of Tears was a promise. Forced to leave their ancestral lands in Georgia and Alabama, the Creek Nation received assurances that their new lands in the West would be secure forever. ... Today we are asked whether the land these treaties promised remains an Indian reservation for purposes of federal criminal law. Because Congress has not said otherwise, we hold the government to its word. We are grateful that the Supreme Court provided justice to the Creek Nation. Rest assured that nobody will invade the law or justice under this system. LOOKING FORWARD For many years, Indian nations have advocated for Indian Self-Determination, as those words are understood generally. My father, Ernest Stevens, worked for President Nixon in the 1970s and later served as the Executive Director of the American Indian Policy Review Commission. From 1968 through 1974, the National Council on Indian Opportunity (NCIO) served as the liaison between the White House, the Cabinet and Indian nations. NCIO returned the Blue Lake to Taos Pueblo. To bring us full circle back to the Constitution and our treaties, the White House Council should be codified to Re-Establish a Nation-to-Nation Policy with Native Nations:
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