Dropping Chief Wahoo is big step forward for Cleveland team

The ClevelandIndians are droppingChiefWahooas theirprimary logo.

It's a gigantic step in the right direction to retire the extremely racist caricatured depiction of a First Nation person.

I believe this is a preemptive move by the Cleveland Major League Baseball organization in response tothe pressure that the Washington NFL organization has received over the past year.

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It's a good move, and in the right direction,but for now the logowill remain on caps and jersey sleeves. Andwe're still being stereotyped and labelled as "Indians"by the organization. Theyre still exploiting us for non-indigenous profit by using the name. Its still robbing us of our individual nationhood.

Until the team name is changed to something that doesn't marginalize by race, it will continue to receive criticism.

The youth football team in the Ottawa region, The Nepean Redskins, changed itsname after a three-year social media campaign to have the team name retired. It wasnt untilthe Human Rights Commission was invoked that a team for children as young as four switched itsracially offensive name to the Nepean Eagles.

The Indians dropped Chief Wahoowithout being in the hot seat.

Its as if the Cleveland baseball organization is seeing a shift in the times and taking the necessary precautions to ensure their brand will survive under the camouflage of a stylized C instead of a jovial, stereotypical idea of what an Indian looks like though a colonial lens.

Changing the logo isnt the full desired result of ending socially acceptable racial oppression. Butthe fact that Cleveland dropped Chief Wahoo without the same pressure that was needed to change the Washington Redskins name is a great sign that times are changing for the better.