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There’s been plenty of controversy surrounding the Edmonton Eskimos’ name over the years and the CFL club finds itself being called out once again.
Like many professional sports organizations, the Eskimos published a tweet over the weekend regarding the ongoing protests and riots over racism in North America.
— Edmonton Eskimos (@EdmontonEsks) May 31, 2020
The tweet said the club seeks to understand what it must feel like to live in fear of doing everyday things and to feel unvalued, used and persecuted.
It ended by saying, “we stand with those who are outraged, who are hurt and who hope for a better tomorrow.”
On the surface, it seems like a respectful and well-thought-out tweet, but coming from a team that’s been surrounded by controversy over the use of the word Eskimo, it didn’t sit well with many.
One of those it didn’t sit well with was 27-year-old Nunavut MP, Mumilaaq Qaqqaq.
The injustices for individuals that are racialized is horrible. I stand with our black friends across the boarder. If you really “seek to understand” start by changing your team name. Stop feeding into stereotypes and offensive names. We are NOT a mascot. - Nunavut’s Inuk MP
— Mumilaaq (@MumilaaqQaqqaq) June 1, 2020
“If you really ‘seek to understand’ start by changing your team name,” she replied. “Stop feeding into stereotypes and offensive names. We are NOT a mascot.”
There was no shortage of others who replied with a comment like “change your name” and it continued after the team made another tweet today regarding Blackout Tuesday.
It doesn’t seem like the team will be doing that any time soon, however, as they announced in Edmonton that there would be no change after a year of consultations with northern communities.