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“Advocates within tribal nations in our communities started working strategically to target the financial backing of the sports --- the Nikes of the world, the FedExes,” Fawn Sharp, president of the National Congress of American Indians, told ABC News. “That was part of our strategic thinking, knowing that you're trying to get something that is based on pure morality and a sense of justice is simply not enough -- that the power of the almighty dollar and money in this country, whether you're in sports, or a member of Congress, is such a powerful influence.”

Meanwhile, in an interview with the Associated Press, Cleveland Indians team owner Paul Dolan cited the killing of Floyd as an “awakening or epiphany” that contributed to the team’s decision, along with conversations with the Native American community.

Before deciding to change their name -- a change that is expected to take place in 2021 -- the Cleveland Indians stopped using the Chief Wahoo logo on their uniforms in 2019.

Statement from the organization.https://t.co/IHa68yEQGA pic.twitter.com/gGS6xutSOy

— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) December 14, 2020

According to Sharp, who leads the country’s oldest and largest American Indian and Alaska Native tribal government organization, the widespread Black Lives Matter protests ushered in a national debate about race and racism in America -- one that finally included the rights of Native Americans.

“We've known that a day of reckoning would come … the momentum has just been an incredible sacred moment,” Sharp said, adding that the organization has brought Indian Country together to advocate for the rights of indigenous people and “to be an ally and partner with others that are disenfranchised.”

\"PHOTO:
Susan Walsh/AP, FILE
PHOTO: In this Sept. 13, 2020, file photo, seats at Fedex Field display the Washington Football Team logo in Landover, Md.
>

The shift in energy comes amid some wins in representation for the Native American community that advocates are hoping will lead to policy changes.

Six Native Americans were elected to serve in the next Congress, a record in U.S. history. Meanwhile, Rep. Deb Haaland, who was nominated by President-elect Joe Biden to lead the Department of the Interior, could become the first Native American to serve in a presidential Cabinet. If confirmed by the Senate, Haaland would be the first Native person to oversee an agency that played a major role historically in the forced relocation and oppression of indigenous people.

\"PHOTO:
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images, FILE
PHOTO: Reps. Deb Haaland, right, and Rashida Tlaib, left, are seen in the Capitol's House chamber before members were sworn in on the first day of the 116th Congress in Washington, Jan. 3, 2019.
>

For Whiteman Runs Him, “there's a tremendous capacity for hope in this moment,” but she remains “cautiously optimistic.”

“Knowing history, we also have to be vigilant that there’s enough done,” she said, adding that the success of leaders such as Haaland will also depend on the support they get from other branches of government, especially Congress.

Sundance echoed the sentiment, saying, “What we need are people who will maintain their Native identity in the face of rules and regulations that have been enacted to keep us oppressed.”

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