The actress who played Nicole Bristow on Zoey 101 supports the movement to change the name of the Kansas City Chiefs, and she posted an Instagram story about an upcoming protest to help do so.
Alexa Nikolas, 30, who also played Haley in The Walking Dead, is an avid activist these days. She shared a post by the IndigenousPeoplesMovement calling for people to protest the name of the Kansas City Chiefs during the Super Bowl at State Farm Stadium on Sunday.
Check out the post below:
Nikolas has been vocal about her advocacy for a number of important causes and recently started the organization Eat Predators, with the goal of helping women “enter the [music] industry without fear of assault, harassment, and rape.” In August, she was in the news again for protesting outside of Nickelodeon headquarters shortly after the release of fellow former Nickelodeon star Jennette McCurdy’s book about her time at the network. Nikolas had previously revealed that she was bullied on the set of Zoey 101 by star Jamie Lynn Spears.
Nikolas stood outside of the studio holding a sign that said “Nickelodeon didn’t protect me.”
“I did not feel protected at Nickelodeon as a child, personally,” she said. “So I’m demanding that Nickelodeon starts protecting children and not predators.” She then called out Dan Schneider, who was responsible for both shows. “To me, he is the creator of childhood trauma. He played a huge role in my personal childhood trauma. I did not feel safe around Dan Schneider while working at Nickelodeon, actually every time he came on set my body got extremely tense. Later on, in Season 2, he yelled at me and made me cry.”
As for the protest, the IndigineousPeoplesMovement said:
“While there have been many beautiful and authentic celebrations of Indigenous culture in the valley this week, we recognize there are still very real, very important issues that need to be addressed when it comes to Indigenous representation across all industries.”
One of those issues, the organization said, is using indigenous images and names for sports teams.
“We are dedicated to rejecting these maladies that have been placed upon our community and will continue to ensure that the NFL and its associates do not harm, misconstrue or misguide their fans and our community when it comes to this very serious issue of cultural appropriation.”
There is a precedent for this sort of thing. In 2021, the Cleveland MLB franchise changed its name from the Indians to the Guardians following decades of controversy and protests. There’s already been name changes in the NFL as well. In July of 2020, the Washington Redskins changed its name to the Washington Football Team. Then last February, the team changed its name to the much less controversial Washington Commanders.