AmRev360: Mascots, Monuments, and Memory with Ray Halbritter

On the heels of the successful campaign to retire the former name and mascot of the NFL’s Washington Football Team, Oneida Indian Nation leader Ray Halbritter joins Museum President & CEO Dr. R. Scott Stephenson for the latest episode of AmRev360. The conversation explores Halbritter's role in leading the “Change the Mascot” movement, the history of the Oneida Indian Nation, the difference between celebration and commemoration, and the importance of a diverse, nuanced telling of our nation’s history.

Halbritter previously spoke at the Museum’s opening ceremony in 2017, participated in panel discussions as part of the Museum’s Indigenous Peoples Celebrations in 2017 and 2018, and was interviewed as part of a CBS Sunday Morning story on the Museum’s “inclusive, warts-and-all telling of the American Revolution.”

AmRev360, hosted by Museum President & CEO Dr. R. Scott Stephenson, features lively conversations on the American Revolution from all angles. Previous episodes include "History Has Its Eyes on Us" with Dr. Joanne B. Freeman and Paul Oakley Stovall, "The Boston Massacre 250th and Digital History" with Dr. Serena Zabin, and "Conservation and Symbols of Revolutionary Flags" with textile conservator Virginia Whelan.

Halbritter is the Nation Representative of the Oneida Indian Nation and the Chief Executive Officer of its enterprises, leading the Oneida people to an economic and cultural renaissance that has been hailed as a national model of success. With Halbritter at the helm, the Oneida Nation became the first American Indian government in 1979 to offer gaming operations on sovereign land — one of many prescient moves that positioned the Oneida people to build what would become a world-class entertainment and gaming facility in the heart of the Northeast. Halbritter has instilled in the Oneida’s business enterprises a sense of cultural investment, making sure that revenues are invested in health care, schools and services for Oneida members, as well as in institutions that will help protect the Oneida’s heritage. The Oneida Nation donated $10 million to the Museum in 2012.