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The team said in a statement to the Chicago
Sun-Times that the name celebrated the life of Black Hawk of
Illinois' Sac & Fox Nation, and that it would work to further
raise awareness about Native American culture.
The announcement comes after the NFL's Washington Redskins and
MLB's Cleveland Indians said last week they would consider
changing their names.
The name and logo symbolized an "important and historic person
... whose leadership and life has inspired generations of Native
Americans, veterans and the public," the Blackhawks said.
"We recognize there is a fine line between respect and
disrespect, and we commend other teams for their willingness to
engage in that conversation.
"Moving forward, we are committed to raising the bar even higher
to expand awareness of Black Hawk and the important
contributions of all Native American people."
The growing pressure on teams to change their names and logos
comes after the death of George Floyd, Black man who died in
police custody in Minneapolis in May, set off nationwide
protests against racial inequality.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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