FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRESS CONTACT: Autumn Pine

PRESS CONTACT INFORMATION: aep9873@uncw.edu
###

Washington N.F.L. Team to Host Educational Festival

LANDOVER, MD—The Washington Commanders will be hosting a festival in the FedEx Field stadium
parking lot this Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the goal of educating its fans on Native American
cultures.

During the festival, there will be tents run by Native American small business owners where the public
will be able to purchase handmade Native American products, watch traditional dances, and listen to
Native American vocalists. The main event within the festival will be a team panel where the Washington
Commanders, Native American officials, and respected cultural researchers will discuss the importance
of the team’s recent name change to create an understanding for its fans. After completing extensive
research and talking to the panelists that will be at the festival, leadership for the Washington
Commanders now understands the impact of the old team name and wishes to share this enlightenment
with their fans while also featuring the beautiful and historical aspects of the Native American culture.

The original plaintiff for the Harjo Et Al V. Pro Football Inc. Case, Susan Shown Harjo, will be one of the
panelists during the festival. Harjo contributed her thoughts to the documentary, More Than A Word, an
educational film highlighting why it’s important for the Washington Commanders to change its name,
and the offensive, sometimes political implications attached to the term “Redskins.”

Harjo Said, “What we know now that we didn’t know collectively as societies a while back was that
actions are preceded by thoughts. So, you have attitude, and then the thought, and then the action and
if you have an attitude about something, about a people, that they’re less than human, you don’t attach
rights to them.”

The context of some of Harjo’s discussions referred to the way dehumanizing a group of people through
cartoons or mascots can take away from the fact that the culture surrounds real people. When these
people are mocked or dehumanized with derogatory and racist terms or expressions, it creates
unforeseen issues for the entire culture. An example that was featured in the documentary related to
water rights that were being taken away.

Harjo’s words created clarity for the team’s leadership and ultimately led to the team changing its
name and left them wanting to educate others.

Admission to the festival is free; however, the team highly encourages its fans to attend with an open
mind, an open heart, to support the small businesses participating in the festival, and to enjoy learning
about the Native American culture.

###