WRIC Richmond News and Weather - "Hambones" Name Dropped After Complaint
Member Center:
Richmond Pro baseball has dropped the nickname "Hambones" from a list of six team name possibilities for Richmond's new baseball team.
The Richmond chapter of the NAACP spoke out against the name Tuesday afternoon, calling it offensive.
According to Wikipedia, Hambone is a nickname for a type of dance traditionally performed by Africans and brought to the U.S. by slaves. According to Janine Bell, president of the Elegba Folklore Society, the dance became something slaves were forced to perform to entertain whites.
Richmond Pro Baseball released the following statement after the NAACP news conference:
"Richmond Professional Baseball has removed the term Hambones from consideration for the name of the new franchise returning baseball to Richmond. The name was chosen from submissions made to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and our sole intent was to utilize the concept of Virgina Ham and its history in the region. We were honestly unaware of any negative, derogatory, or offensive connotations. Our organization in no way intended to offend any individual or segment of society with its inclusion in our name the team contest. We offer a sincere apology to those that may have been offended by our mistake. We continue to build towards the exciting return of baseball to this great city and look forward to groundbreaking days ahead as the identity of the team takes shape."
The results of the team name vote will be released Thursday.
Stay with 8News for updates.
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