On May 1, 1926, the NHL awarded an expansion franchise for Chicago to a syndicate headed by former football star Huntington Hardwick of Boston. At the same meeting, Hardwick arranged the purchase of the players of the Portland Rosebuds of the Western Hockey League for $100,000 from WHL president Frank Patrick in a deal brokered by Boston Bruins' owner Charles Adams. However, only one month later, Hardwick's group sold out to Chicago coffee tycoon Frederic McLaughlin

McLaughlin had been a commander with the 333rd Machine Gun Battalion of the 86th Infantry Division during World War I.  This division was nicknamed the "Blackhawk Division" after an Indigenous Chief of the Sauk nation, Chief Black Hawk, who was a prominent figure in the history of Illinois. 

In Creating His Team, He was Honoring His Military Service. Yet he Chose a "Misrepresentation" of What Chief Black Hawk Looked Like, a Caricature, and a Stereotype, in order to Portray what was Common Non Native Belief: That Natives were S**ages and Brutalizers. Blood Thirsty Warriors. 

That could Not be Farther from the Truth. 

 

In Recent Years, an Ojibwe Artist Named Mike Ivall, Designed a New Logo Idea, That would Be respectful to The History of The Land and of Indigenous Peoples. The Logo Design Proposed was of an Actual "Hawk" bearing the Same Color Scheme of The Chicago Blackhawks Team. 

It was Rejected by The Franchise and by the NHL. 

 

THIS REJECTION is a Disgrace, and is keeping with The Disgraceful Tradition of Silencing our Voices in favor of Non Indigenous Sports owners who wish to Tokenize Natives, and Display us as Parodies or Caricatures. 

 

The Logo of this team is not the only problem that needs to be addressed. In the past decade, it has been revealed that the organization are extremely racist and segregarional towards their talented players, and helped destroy the Career of a player who is Black. ( Akim Aliu). Players and Management have fostered an enviroment of Abuse and hate and the players adopt that destructive culture, believing thats the only way they can succeed. 

Also in the Past decade, The Organization allowed sexual abuse of players to persist and now Rocky Refuses to talk about it. This must change. 

If Rocky is unwilling to change the entire identity and culture of this team, then he must be forced to sell the team to someone who will. 

 

Change the Logo. Change the Identity, and Create a Team worth cheering for, one that is welcoming to everyone and will help everyone succeed. And enjoy doing so. 

 

I want to present this Petition to The Chicago Blackhawks with So many signatures that they cannot Refuse.