Vic Mensa, rapper, Chicago resident, and outspoken social critic on Twitter, is not happy about the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks’ logo. He took to Twitter to cite the logo, which depicts a Native American profile, as racist and offensive. “The @NHLBlackhawks need to replace this logo IMMEDIATELY,” he wrote, adding, “It’s racist.”
https://twitter.com/VicMensa/status/910287168379195393
He further urged followers to “imagine having your people massacred and turned into a mascot…” and responded to a reply calling it “one of the most iconic sports logos” by saying, “That’s why it hurts. But it gotta go.”
https://twitter.com/VicMensa/status/910287730034212864
https://twitter.com/VicMensa/status/910299301972267008
Some followers responded to voice their disagreement, maintaining that the team had received permission from a Natives’ council, while others expressed empathy for Native Americans. For those of us who fell asleep in fifth grade history, many Native American tribes were cheated or forced away from their ancestral homelands to “reservations,” denied the rights to learn or teach their own cultures and languages, and in many cases, outright massacred during the westward expansion of the United States.
Intriguingly, In 2008, The Hockey News‘ staff voted the team’s main logo to be the best in the NHL, and the Blackhawks organization has worked with the American Indian Center to help educate the team’s community and fan base about Native American culture and history. However, with other sports organizations such as the NFL’s Washington Redskins coming under fire for offensive imagery, Vic might have a point. As long as some folks feel their history, culture, and struggles are being dishonored, their voices should be respected — even when it comes to entertainment. See more tweets from the dialogue below.
Imagine finding a mascot that's human related, that hasn't been massacred at some point in history.
— Ryann Wallace (@RyannWallace) September 20, 2017
Reason why I'm not a huge FSU fan anymore. I was like… a mascot shouldn't be type of person with a culture that was forcefully attacked.
— BLAKE (@Blakenatural) September 20, 2017
"Pile of Dead People" would be a great team name, costume would need to get creative
— LumpySpaceConnor (@R2DLu) September 19, 2017
https://twitter.com/DadofGabriel/status/910300093735215104
https://twitter.com/DadofGabriel/status/910300644522840064
https://twitter.com/ITSBEN2283/status/910678142473338881
https://twitter.com/ITSBEN2283/status/910677898717167616
