MINNEAPOLIS -- Two Minnesota tribes have purchased local airtime Sunday before the Minnesota-Washington NFL football game, planning to air an ad featuring native pride with a denunciation of the “Redskins” name and logo.
The ad, entitled “Proud to Be,” was earlier broadcast during the NBA Finals in June.
On Sunday, a shortened 30-second version - bit.ly/1u3pfmj - will be televised on KMSP-TV just before the noon kickoff against the Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe are sponsoring the ad, the two tribal groups said in a statement Friday.
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“This ad communicates Native American objections to the team’s name in a powerful way,” said Charlie Vig, chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. “We hope Minnesotans will gain greater understanding about this issue and benefit from this perspective.”
Melanie Benjamin, chief executive of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, said she hopes airing the ad “contributes in some way to bringing the practice of hurtful mascots to an end.”
Opponents of the Redskins name are expecting as many as 5,000 Indians from across the country for a pregame protest.
