Here is all you need to know about Nina Sanders, the Chicago Blackhawks worker suing the team over s*xual harrasment
The Chicago Blackhawks Foundation, the company’s philanthropic arm, is being sued by a Native American employee of the team who claims she was s*xually assaulted, there was fraud, and there was an oral contract breach.
As per a report by CBS News, Nina Sanders filed the case on Tuesday night in Cook County Circuit Court. In an exclusive interview with CBS Chicago, she stated that she was hired to strengthen links between the squad and the Native American community. She claimed, however, that she was pushed out.
Who is native American Nina Sanders who has sued Chicago Blackhawks over s*xual harrasement and fraud
Can we also highlight the fact that the Chicago Blackhawks’ story has already changed since July 2023 on Nina Sanders contract; first they say she filed complaints only AFTER they didn’t renew-now they’re saying they offered her a new contract and she declined—Hmmm I wonder why! pic.twitter.com/PrjEwQ1rKo
— doublehockeystix (@dblhockeystix) May 15, 2024
Teams in sports, like the Washington football team and the Cleveland baseball team (now called the Commanders and Guardians, respectively), have faced years of severe pressure to change their names, mascots, and logos.
Nonetheless, the Chicago Blackhawks made the decision to retain their name in memory of Black Hawk, a real Native American and Illinoisan battle leader.
Before she ever accepted the position, Sanders claimed to have spoken with team CEO Danny Wirtz. The complaint claims that Wirtz agreed to change the team’s emblem, buy property for the Sac and Fox Nation, and employ American Indians in exchange for taking the job.
The lawsuit claims that although Wirtz broke none of these promises, she accepted the position on their basis. Now that she is into the headlines, here is all you need to know about her.
Who is Nina Sanders?
Nina Sanders is a consultant working for Chicago Blackhawks to strengthen alliances with Native American tribes. She is a curator, author, and cultural consultant who resides at Medicine Tail Coulee.
Sanders not only works with teams like the Chicago Blackhawks, Indianapolis Indians, and Burpee Museum of Natural History, but he also frequently gives lectures on Indigenous conservation.
The Chicago Blackhawks confirmed to CBS Chicago that they had hired Sanders as a consultant in 2020 to aid in their efforts to build relationships with the Native American community.
She has ten years of expertise giving lectures and offering advice to organisations like the Field Museum in Chicago and the Smithsonian’s American Indian Museum. Her writing has appeared in magazines such as the Smithsonian, Native American Art Magazine, and others.
She was the curator of the landmark exhibition Apsáalooke Women and Warriors at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, the School for Advanced Research, and the Field Museum, among other organisations.