The Washington Redskins team name has been a subject of controversy for some time now, and there have been increased efforts to get the name changed over the past year. As it stands now, Washington owner Daniel Snyder isn’t going to budge when it comes to changing the name, and the NFL isn’t really forcing him to do anything he doesn’t want to do.
While there seems to be no movement on the name change, that hasn’t stopped groups from trying to get the conversation started again. One of those groups are the Oneida Indian Nation, as they will be meeting with the United Nations to discuss the name.
Oneida Indian Nation representative Ray Halbritter spoke on the matter, per ProFootballTalk.com:
"“I am both humbled and heartened by the opportunity to have a dialogue with the UN regarding the important moral, human, and civil rights issues raised by the Washington NFL team’s continued use of the R-word racial slur,” Halbritter said in a news release. “It is extremely encouraging to see people across the country, as well as national and international leaders, recognizing the harmful impacts of using this term that denigrates Native peoples.”"
The name, which many have deemed racist and inappropriate, cannot be changed by the UN. They have absolutely no power in the matter other than the power of conversation, as the matter being discussed on a global level may increase awareness of the issue.
It doesn’t appear that Washington will be changing their name anytime soon, but there’s hope by those who oppose the name that bringing the discussion to a global audience may put pressure on the NFL to change the name of the team.