This past weekend, a whole history of Indigenous oppression was in my face when I visited Rush Springs for their annual Watermelon Festival. Their high school’s mascot is the Redskins, a term that many Indigenous groups have launched a campaign against, one of determined education and hopeful change and, thankfully, many schools are listening.
But, in Oklahoma, a state where you’d think that people would know better, you have the high school sports fan that proudly loves their “Redskin country!” athletics and, proving that even Custer had his scouts, the supposed Natives that sent plenty of “I’m a Indian and I’m a proud Redskin!” messages over the past week. This type of hateful rhetoric seems to be the most vocal, affecting Indigenous peoples—especially the children—who have to see and hear this slur everyday of their lives.