Amanda Blackhorse
| Amanda Blackhorse | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Amanda Leeh Blackhorse February 1, 1982 Kayenta, Arizona, Arizona |
| Nationality | American Indian |
| Ethnicity | Diné |
| Alma mater |
Haskell Indian Nations University (A.A.) University of Kansas (B.S.W.) Washington University in St. Louis (M.S.W.) |
| Occupation |
Social Worker Journalist Activist |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Organization | Arizona to Rally Against Native American Mascots |
| Known for | Protesting Washington Redskins name controversy and successfully stripping aforementioned sports team of trademarks surrounding said derogatory team name |
Amanda Blackhorse is a social worker and member of the Navajo people who is known for her work as an activist on the Washington Redskins name controversy. She is the lead plaintiff in Blackhorse v. Pro-Football, Inc.
Biography
As of 2014, Blackhorse is a psychiatric social worker on the Navajo Reservation, where she grew up. She has also worked at Arizona State Hospital.[1]
While a student at the University of Kansas, she attended a game between the Washington Redskins and the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium and reported:
At an NFL game in Kansas City, "people yelled, 'Go back to your reservation!' 'We won, you lost, get over it!' 'Go get drunk!' And so many different slurs … I've experienced racism in my lifetime, but to see it outwardly, and nobody did anything?"[2]
Blackhorse v. Pro-Football, Inc.
Blackhorse is the lead plaintiff in Blackhorse v. Pro-Football, Inc.,[3] which seeks to revoke trademark protection of the term "Washington Redskins".[4] The USPTO rejected an application to register "Redskins Hog Rinds" because it "consists of or includes matter which may disparage or bring into contempt or disrepute persons, institutions, beliefs, or national symbols".[5] Since 1992, the USPTO has rejected eleven applications for other trademarks that included the word redskins, based on the same reasons. Some of the applications were made by Pro-Football, Inc., including "Washington Redskins Cheerleaders".[6][7]
On June 18, 2014, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) voted to cancel the six trademarks held by the team in a two to one decision that held that the term "redskins" is disparaging to a "substantial composite of Native Americans", and this is demonstrated "by the near complete drop-off in usage of 'redskins' as a reference to Native Americans beginning in the 1960s." [8][9] In a press release the trademark attorney for the team stated that they were confident that they would once again prevail on appeal, and that today's decision will make no difference in the continued use of the Redskins name.[10]
Plaintiff Amanda Blackhorse said in an interview, "We’ve been through this process for eight years now. We will continue to fight. And, you know, this is not the end for us."[11]
References
- ↑ Finnerty, Megan (2014-06-18). "Amanda Blackhorse on besting Washington's NFL team". azcentral, The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2014-06-19.
- ↑ Redden, Molly (2014-06-18). "Meet the Native American Woman Who Took on the Washington Football Team". Mother Jones. Retrieved 2014-06-19.
- ↑ "United States Patent and Trademark Office". Retrieved October 16, 2013.
- ↑ Erik Brady (May 10, 2013). "New generation of Native Americans challenges Redskins". USA Today. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
- ↑ "UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE (USPTO) OFFICE ACTION (OFFICIAL LETTER) ABOUT APPLICANT’S TRADEMARK APPLICATION". December 29, 2013. Retrieved 2014-01-08.
- ↑ Theresa Vargas (January 28, 2014). "From pork rinds to cheerleaders, the trademark office rejects the word ‘Redskins’". The Washington Post.
- ↑ Theresa Vargas (January 6, 2014). "Agency rejects trademark of ‘Redskins Hog Rinds,’ calling term ‘derogatory’". The Washington Post.
- ↑ KEN BELSON; EDWARD WYATT (June 18, 2014). "U.S. Patent Office Cancels Redskins Trademark Registration". The New York Times.
- ↑ "USPTO TTABVUE. Proceeding Number 92046185". United States Patent and Trademark Office. June 18, 2014. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
- ↑ "STATEMENT BY BOB RASKOPF, TRADEMARK ATTORNEY FOR THE WASHINGTON REDSKINS" (PDF). June 18, 2014.
- ↑ "Meet the Navajo Activist Who Got the Washington Redskins’ Trademark Revoked: Amanda Blackhorse". Democracy Now!. 2014-06-19. Retrieved 2014-06-19.