#fuck the chicago blackhawks

[flaticeball]

hey! as the first season of connor bedard gets underway i, your local indigenous hockey fan, have a request of you: please don't let this kid's sure to be marvellous and jaw-dropping rookie season make you complacent with the racism of the blackhawks as an organization. it is beyond heinous that they were able to secure the first overall pick this year for a number of reasons i'm sure we're all familiar with, but i am pleading with the hockey community not to let the racism of this org fall through the cracks.

they drafted connor bedard and handed him a jersey with a giant racist caricature on the front. their mascot is named tommy hawk. they continuously fail to curtail their fans' egregious displays of anti-indigenous racism at games.

i'm not going to ask anyone not to post about bedard. i know he's huge news and i'm bummed as all hell that i won't be able to enjoy the beginning of what is sure to be an incredible career myself. but i am asking, given that his presence on the team is likely to increase the prevalence of people making and reblogging posts about the blackhawks, that you please care, loudly and actively, about the racism of this organization and how much it hurts indigenous fans to see that go unquestioned so often.

consider mentioning it in posts. consider amplifying the voices of indigenous fans and community members about the issues of these types of sports organizations. consider reading up on the history of the person they claim to 'honour' with their hideous effigy of a logo. consider censoring the logo in your posts if you are able to (please do this if you are able to). consider tagging posts so that indigenous fans are at the very least able to blacklist that team and not have to see it.

above all, please just. don't forget about it. don't forget about us. we belong here too.

[jebustraun]

oh go fuck yourself‼️‼️

[savethegoalie]

[hughschiers]

[moon-dog1634]

COREY PERRY ALLEGEDLY FUCKING CONNOR BEDARDS MOM IS THE FUNNIEST THING THATS EVER HAPPENED I CANT WAIT TO SEE HOW THIS PANS OUT

[intersectionalpraxis]

This response was based on this post below. There was a thirty-something-year-old white guy (or who knows how old this racist piece of shit is); wearing face paint and an Indigenous feather headdress at a hockey game. As this person alludes to/addresses in this thread -this white guy is costuming something that is SACRED among Indigenous communities (and I know this is not the first time we have seen this -but it needs to be constantly called out until this fucking hockey team changes its' "mascot").

And although this is not meant to be a homogenizing statement (as there are nuances, and I am not an expert) -but for folks who aren't aware of the symbolism/meaning behind eagle feather headdresses -they are usually worn by Native men after achieving a significant accomplishment/can also represent power and authority of the wearer (Leader and War Chief Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak, leader of the Sauk Tribe, is one of those individuals -the person referred to in this thread).

The caption states: "That's certainly a choice my dude."

[kazer-time]

We may be tanking the season, he may not be sure of his career, but you can bet that Jonny will be fighting a penalty.

Hawks at Kraken, 4.8.23.

[stereax]

[savethegoalie]

[marnie-mouse]

Wow, I hope the Reaper comes to get me soon, I truly do not like living in this timeline. I'm dying, ok?

😭😭😭

[floridazcrazy]

I really need another Wembenyama and bedard meet up like???! Were they awkward AF, yes. Was it also cool to watch YES.

[nebulein]

We've come a long way from where we began

[pierremcguire]

presenting, concrete bedard

[luckyluukkonen]

@ reporters stop asking connor bedard (a child) about the rumors of his TEAMMATE sleeping with his MOM

[capnseriouslycanadian]

new colours, same old 88 🥲 (via NYR on twitter)

[nuge]

what the fuck did corey perry do to the team employee???