Sarah Ford | June 19, 2014

Trudging on: The fight for Native American justice, The Slants, and Stephen Guillermo’s posthumous degree

A day after the Washington football team’s trademark of the Redskins name was cancelled, activists are cheering, but the effect is the same.

We are still far from home on the range, or anywhere else, where seldom is heard a disparaging word. So the deer and the pro bono attorneys can still play.

After having argued publicly in screeds and rants in print and on radio against the use of the Redskins name since the’ 90s, I accept the fact that justice doesn’t race along, it trudges.

And the trudgers won a deserving point this week as the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board lifted its protections for the Redskins name.

Yet Team Snyder is hardly red-faced and can still use everything they’ve got. And so can counterfeiters. The issue of who gets to share in the profits from NFL rights may ultimately have more to do with shaming the Snyders into submission. But the decision this week only promises more court battles to come.

And while my heart goes out to my Native American brothers and sisters on this one, this issue only gets more complicated when you consider who wants to use a name.

When I first wrote about the Asian American rock band, The Slants, they were denied a trademark for the use of their name. 

>> Continue Reading

>> Support Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund

Get Resources and Insights Straight To Your Inbox

Explore More Articles

Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

July 18, 2025

July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about the unique mental health challenges faced by minority communities. It’s an…

Read Article

International Self Care Day

July 18, 2025

Today, July 24, 2025, we celebrate International Self Care Day, a day dedicated to promoting self-care practices and their numerous benefits for physical, mental, and…

Read Article
How the “Big Beautiful Bill” Will Impact Individual Giving and Employer-Sponsored Workplace Giving Programs

How the “Big Beautiful Bill” Will Impact Individual Giving and Employer-Sponsored Workplace Giving Programs

July 14, 2025

The One Big Beautiful Bill was signed into law on July 4, 2025, introducing a range of provisions that will affect how individuals, companies, and…

Read Article

Get Resources and Insights Straight To Your Inbox

Receive our monthly/bi-monthly newsletter filled with information about causes, nonprofit impact, and topics important for corporate social responsibility and employee engagement professionals, including disaster response, workplace giving, matching gifts, employee assistance funds, volunteering, scholarship award program management, grantmaking, and other philanthropic initiatives.

newsletter-mock