With South Carolina removing the Confederate flag from its capitol grounds, the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development sees an opportunity to parlay that development into another change: The name of the Washington NFL franchise.
“I very much agree that the name is offensive,” Julián Castro said, via NBCNews.com.
“There’s a feeling in our nation that there’s this moment, this window of opportunity, to address these deep-seated challenges, these wounds that we’ve had, certainly with the African-American community, but also with the Native American community,” Castro said. “My hope is that that may mold change.”
The issue came up at a question-and-answer session at the Native News Media Conference, which is sponsored by the Native American Journalists Association and Native Public Media.
The debate regarding the name had subsided, but it will linger until the name changes. Whether that’s in the near future or at some other point in the next 50 years, it feels inevitable that American society, which has changed dramatically in the last 50 years, will evolve to the point where enough people agree with Castro.
And Castro’s voice may eventually have plenty of power attached to it. He has been mentioned as a potential Vice Presidential candidate, which could put him in position to advance the current administration’s belief that the team should not return to the District of Columbia without a new name.