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Religious leaders urge Washington football team to drop mascot






YouTube: NCAI Video -- Change the Mascot

Sixty-one faith leaders in the Washington, D.C., area are calling for the end of the Washington professional football team's racist mascot.

A letter to team owner Dan Snyder and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell calls the mascot "derogatory."

"This word, defined in the dictionary as a slur, should not be publicly marketed and celebrated in America, which is built on the ideals of respect and inclusion. Words can cause great pain, even when there is no intention to offend or demean," the leaders of Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Muslim and other faiths wrote.

The letter was signed on the day the National Congress of American Indians hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill to discuss the effects of derogatory mascots.

Get the Story:
Faith leaders urge Redskins owner Dan Snyder and NFL to change team’s name (The Washington Post 12/6)

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