Redskins Thanksgiving tweet sparks backlash It's not always immediately obvious why messages posted on social media draw condemnation. And then sometimes it is. On Thanksgiving morning, the Washington Redskins tweeted this: While team owner Daniel Snyder contends the name and the mascot honor Native Americans, activists find the moniker offensive. Also, many Native Americans don't celebrate Thanksgiving and are deeply pained by its origins. On Thursday, the 45th annual National Day of Mourning was held in New England. Organizers told the Associated Press that to them Plymouth Rock represents "nothing more than a monument to racism and genocide." Redskins spokesman Tony Wyllie declined to comment on reaction to the tweet. "I'm not aware of any backlash," he said. That's news to me. This is the second time in the past two weeks that the controversy has captured national attention. The New Yorker magazine recently revealed a cover depicting stone-faced Native Americans in a room with fans who are dressed as pilgrims. The Redskins post, which has since been retweeted more than 900 times, sparked a swift backlash. Earlier this year - after visiting 26 Indian reservations - Snyder launched the Redskins Original Americans Foundation to "provide resources that offer genuine opportunities for Tribal communities," according to the team's website. "The more I heard, the more I've learned, and the more I saw, the more resolved I became about helping to address the challenges that plague the Native American community," Snyder wrote in a letter announcing the foundation's creation. In speaking face-to-face with Native American leaders and community members, it's plain to see they need action, not words.