An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States

Desus sarcastically adds, “How can I be racist if I’m rooting for the
Blackhawks?” Mero then quickly chimes in, pointing out the major
contradiction, “Also, nobody ever said anything about the Blackhawks
logo?” Desus comes back, call-and-response fashion, “It’s double layers of
racism.” The Capitals’ coach, Barry Trotz, in an interview later remarked,
“There’s absolutely no place in the game of hockey or our country for
racism. . . . I think it’s disgusting, and there’s no place for it . . . it just
shows ignorance.” 33 Desus and Mero also point out the contradictions of
Trotz’s remark by using another clip, this one a statement by Chicago team
captain Jonathan Toews: “We don’t support that kind of behavior and in this
day and age it’s time to start moving past that and realize that we don’t want
to stoop to those levels.” Desus remarks, “You know, you want racial
progression? Let’s focus on our racist logo first.”
Desus and Mero get it! They understand that double layers of racism can
exist, and offer the possibility that Black popular culture can also deviate
from Black issues and contribute to Indigenous peoples’
struggle to put an end to dehumanizing mascots. At the end of the
segment, Desus says, “Even the Cleveland Indians like, ‘Yo, we gon’ chill
with that.’” 34 The possibilities are endless, and as we protest dehumanizing
mascots, protest out in the streets, let’s not forget the joys and possibilities
of Black and Indigenous laughter.
They had done a lot of work learning about the issue. Interestingly
enough, people had called them out on Twitter, particularly Desus, for
wearing a Bl*c*h*wks hat on television in October 2017. They did not take
it personally, and they addressed it in this particular segment using critical
inquiry. Shout out to them! Black and Indigenous folks can learn from their
example! Let’s grow together.
The challenges and possibilities of Black and Indigenous solidarity in the
realm of popular culture can be fleeting. Formal and informal education
about each other’s histories is important, but this must all be followed by
collective action. We need to support each other. We need to end
antiblackness and Indigenous erasure in the public sphere, by all means
necessary. As the previous chapters have demonstrated, we have done it
before and we can do it again.
In part, what we need is for Black and Indigenous creatives, whether
they’re poets, visual artists, or singers who help us imagine another world,
to collaborate. They can show each of their respective communities what