Kansas City, MO, October 11 — Edgar Palacios, founder and CEO of Latinx Education Collaborative, was set to be honored during the Kansas City football franchise’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders for National Hispanic Heritage Month, but refused to participate in the pre-game drum ritual to stand in solidarity with Native American protestors.
Palacios told the Not In Our Honor Coalition, an advocate group against the use of Native American imagery in sports, “While humbled to be recognized by our local football team to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, I did not feel comfortable banging the drum. As Cesar Chavez once said, ‘Preservation of one’s own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures.’ “
Palacios and his family joined The Not In Our Honor Coalition on game day to protest outside the stadium. “We are standing in solidarity with our Indigenous brothers and sisters and making sure their voices are heard,” said Palacios
Protestor Jason Swartley member of the Kansas City Indian Center said, “We just want to raise awareness that as Native people of Kansas City, we don’t support what this organization is doing, [and] the way they claim to represent our people.”
Palacios’s wife, Laura said, “I hope [people who see the protest] stand in solidarity and add pressure to change the name”
Featured Image of Edgar Palacios, wife Laura, and children protesting at Arrowhead Stadium. Photo by Jared Nally.
