Sometimes I wonder if Washington team owner Dan Snyder and the co-owners know what type of hate mail those of us who have been battling the Native American mascot issue get. I don’t have a secretary or assistant who assists me in reading messages or organizing my social media, emails and such. Aside from my everyday duties of being a mother and making ends meet in my home, working on the mascot issue will usually take the back burner.

So when I get a chance I will read my “other inbox” on Facebook. After the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board granted the cancellation of the Washington team's registrations in June, messages to me quadrupled. I was swamped with messages from all over the world. Much of it was positive and people sent words of gratitude and encouragement, but a majority was hate mail. This one was one of the most shocking to me:

I’ve never had anyone call me an R-skin to my face. I once dared Dan Snyder in the spring of 2013 through a USA Today reporter if he would dare call me an R-skin to my face and his response was something to the effect of, “I don’t know her … I will never change the name of the team, you can quote that in all caps." I felt that response was very dismissive and patronizing. But otherwise, he has not called me an R-skin to may face or referred to me (to my knowledge) in that manner. I think we both know it would be terribly inappropriate if he did. But apparently this person, Jeff Gates, has no problem calling me an R-skin to my face. In the process he takes a jab at putting down my appearance, which is not up for debate.