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Conference on the Elimination of Racist Mascots

By Brooke Anderson

Chief Illiniwek, the mascot and logo of the University of Illinois, by mocking the sacred rituals and symbols that give meaning to the lives of Native peoples, degrades Native Americans on the U of I campus and nationwide. Such halftime minstrel shows are a significant obstacle to Native peoples' efforts to forge modern and individual identities and maintain pride in their diverse cultural traditions. Chief Illiniwek and other racist mascots have devastating effects on Native American students, faculty, and staff on this campus and everywhere. The movement to end this racist tradition has become a focal point for activists on the University of Illinois campus, and has drawn attention from international human rights organizations.

On the weekend of April 3, 1998, anti-racist activists, artists, and academics from all over the country came to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for the first national Conference on the Elimination of Racist Mascots (CERM). The conference was sponsored by the Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative (PRC), People Against Racism (PAR), Alumni Against Racist Mascots (AARM), the Native American Students Organization (NASO), and the National Coalition on Racism in Sports and the Media (NCRSM). CERM was also endorsed by more than thirty campus and community organizations, studies programs, cultural houses, University departments, businesses, and churches. Vietnam Veterans Against the War was one of these fine organizations. Conference organizers included VVAW members Jeff Machota, Joe Miller, Jim Holiman and Lisa Dixon.

Over sixty panelists and keynote speakers participated, including Charlene Teters, founder of the anti-Chief movement; Kenneth Stern of the American Jewish committee; Gary Brouse, Director of the Interfaith Council for Corporate Responsibility; Clyde Bellecourt, founder and Director of the American Indian Movement; Vernon Bellecourt, spokesperson for the American Indian Movement; Billy Mills, 1964 Olympic Gold Medal winner; and Floyd Red Crow Westerman from "Dances With Wolves."

The conference consisted of a series of workshops and panel discussions to explore issues of importance to anti-racism activists, especially in respect to national and local movements to end the use of racist mascots. Through these workshops we were able to create a national unified front against the degradation and misrepresentation of Native peoples, enhance the effectiveness of our strategies, and more powerfully demand the establishment of a Native American studies program and cultural house, recruitment and retention of American Indian students, faculty, and staff and the immediate and unconditional removal of the Chief Illiniwek mascot and logo.

A Friday night panel discussion, "Dialogue on the Elimination of Racist Mascots," attracted a crowd of five hundred. Nearly three hundred people attended the actual conference the next day. The conference was also covered by every Champaign-Urbana media outlet as well as by the Associated Press, United Press International, CBS Radio and the British Broadcasting Company.

The reality and magnitude of CERM is evidence that together we have won the support of people of conscience everywhere. This conference was a tremendous inspiration to all who participated, and hopefully such energy will drive this movement and others forward toward the realization of our goals. CERM was also an incredible opportunity to network with activists across the nation, and we hope to continue to work with our friends and allies, not just on anti-racist mascots issues but on all issues of social justice.

But none of this would have been possible without the support of our allies, like VVAW. Special thanks to Vietnam Veterans Against the War for endorsing the conference, and especially to our good VVAW friends, Barry Romo and Bill Branson, who generously donated their time to train security personnel for the conference, lent us radio headsets, and served as a reserve security team. Thanks, Bill and Barry!

To obtain a booklet containing CERM resolutions or to purchase video or audio recordings of any of the panel sessions, please email Brooke at baanders@uiuc.edu or call the PRC office at (217) 352-9782. More information about the PRC and the anti-Chief movement can be found at:

http://www.prairienet.org/prc

Brooke Anderson is a sophomore in psychology at the University of Illinois. Her political involvement includes the Coalition to Stop Medical Waste Incineration, the Student Environmental Action Coalition, and the Free Burma Coalition. She currently works with the Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative.