Native American activists: Kansas City Chiefs need to change
Rhonda LeValdo is refusing to slow down. For the fourth time in five years, her hometown team and the focus of her activism is in the Super Bowl.
As the Kansas City Chiefs prepare for Sunday's big game, so does LeValdo. She and dozens of other Indigenous activists are in Las Vegas to protest and demand the team change its name and ditch its logo and rituals they say are offensive.
“I’ve spent so much of my personal time and money on this issue. I really hoped that our kids wouldn't have to deal with this,” said LeValdo, who founded and leads a group called Not In Our Honor. “But here we go again.”
Her concern for children is founded. Research has shown imagery and stereotypes in sports have negative psychological effects on Native youth and encourage non-Native children to discriminate against them.
