Delino DeShields of the Cleveland Indians is greeted by teammate Jose

Brands, bands, and states reassessed the names, titles, and symbols that defined them in the soul searching that followed George Floyd’s killing.
Delino DeShields of the Cleveland Indians is greeted by teammate Jose Ramirez during a game against the New York Yankees.
Delino DeShields of the Cleveland Indians is greeted by teammate Jose Ramirez during a game against the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio on September 30, 2020. Photo: Joe Sargent/MLB Photos via Getty Images
By Naina Bhardwaj and Sophia Ankel

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The Cleveland Indians are set to have their name changed for the first time in 105 years following months of internal discussions and meetings with indigenous groups, who called for the team to stop using the term ‘Indians, ‘ which many considered racist.
The team’s owner, Paul Dolan, told the Associated Press that “the name is no longer acceptable in our world,” but added that the team would not using a temporary name while choosing a new one.
It was the latest example of changes made this year after 2020 became the year of racial reckoning following the George Floyd murder in May and subsequent Black Lives Matter protests.
From Boston to Berkley, scroll down to see the rapidly growing list of brands, bands, and buildings that have changed names, statues that have been removed, and flags that changed, in the last 12 months.
A statue of Former President Abraham Lincoln holding his hand over a kneeling slave in Boston has been dismantled.
The Abraham Lincoln statue by Thomas Ball in Park Square in Boston.
The Abraham Lincoln statue by Thomas Ball in Park Square in Boston. Photo: David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
The Black man kneeling at Lincoln’s feet was modeled on Archer Alexander, a heroic slave who aided the Union during the Civil War.
The statue stood in Boston’s Park Square since 1879.
“The decision for removal acknowledged the statue’s role in perpetuating harmful prejudices and obscuring the role of Black Americans in shaping the nation’s freedoms,” a statement from the city’s mayor’s office read, according to NPR.
Source: NPR
Mississippi removes the Confederate emblem on its flag.
A man protests against the Mississippi State Flag’s changing outside the State Capitol building in Jackson, Mississippi.
A man protests against the Mississippi State Flag’s changing outside the State Capitol building in Jackson, Mississippi, on June 28, 2020. Photo: Alan Chin/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images
Mississippi was the last state to still have a Confederate emblem on its flag, dating back to 1894.
In June, the governor signed a bill to have it replaced, and a new flag design was voted for last month.
New York also banned the sale or display of Confederate flags, swastikas, and other state property symbols despite concerns that it might violate freedom of speech and be unconstitutional.
According to CBS News, Governor Andrew Cuomo said: “This country faces a pervasive, growing attitude of intolerance and hate — what I have referred to in the body politic as an American cancer.
“This bill will help safeguard New Yorkers from the fear-instilling effects of these abhorrent symbols,” he added in his memo.
Sources: Mississippi Clarion-Ledger, NBC News, CBS News
The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations will be shortened to the State of Rhode Island.
The State of Rhode Island’s seal decorates a podium as Governor Gina Raimondo looks on during a news conference.
The State of Rhode Island’s seal decorates a podium as Governor Gina Raimondo looks on during a news conference in Providence, Rhode Island, on June 22, 2020. Photo: David Goldman/AP
The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations is set to have its name shortened following a referendum last month.
It followed an online petition that received over 10,000 signatures, and Governor Gina Raimondo signed an executive order calling for the state constitution to rename Rhode Island in June.
She tweeted: “Our work to dismantle systemic racism in Rhode Island did not start today and it will not end today, but we can rise together and make meaningful progress toward racial equity now.
The state’s full name dates back to the 17th century when Puritan Minister, Roger Williams, founded plantations on the Providence River, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations before we came to know it as today.