The Arizona Cardinals took on the Washington Redskins on Sunday, but football fans and tailgaters weren’t the only people outside the stadium.
A group called Arizona to Rally Against Native Mascots organized a protest outside State Farm Stadium in Glendale. Jennifer Touchine was one of the organizers for the event.
She said “redskin” is a dictionary-defined racial slur, rooted in the attempted genocide of indigenous people.
“We need to get America to realize that this word is racist and that’s it, period,” Touchine said. “It’s just as bad as the N-word.”
The group passed out flyers to educate others about the 22 recognized tribes in Arizona and talked to passersby about why they think the term “redskin” is offensive.
Savannah Castorena is from the Pascua Yaqui tribe in southern Arizona and wants the Redskins’ name to be changed.
“They’re bringing that money in off of a culture, off of a people and they’re not honoring us,” Castorena said. “It’s racist and it’s upsetting.”
