Not Our Mascot RallyFriday October 2, 2009
Click here for the October 11, 2000 Radio Liberacion show on this topic
From: http://ucimc.org/content/not-our-mascot-rally More than 200 people marched across the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to protest the return of its racist mascot, “the Chief,” which was retired by the Board of Trustees in February 2007. For the second year a registered student organization, Students for Chief Illiniwek, has rented Assembly Hall to hold an event called “The Next Dance” for those who wish to see the mascot’s return. The University of Illinois continues to refuse to educate its students about the reason for the mascot’s retirement, or enforce its trademark on the image. The march began at the Alma Mater and went up Green Street. University of Illinois and Champaign police had threatened organizers that they would be arrested if anyone walked in the street. A remarkably well-organized event, the crowd policed itself with designated individuals wearing red arm bands and ushering the marchers. There were two legal observers and medical technicians also present. There were fortunately no arrests. As they marched, they crowd chanted, “One, two, three, four. Who is the Chief dancing for? Five, six, seven, eight. Not for us. Stop the hate!” The group marched to Swanlund Administration building to deliver a petition to Chancellor Herman calling for the university to take action to retire its racist mascot once and for all. The march continued past Newman Center where a group stood yelling “Chief” and doing the “tomahawk chop.” The marchers then proceeded to Assembly Hall where “The Next Dance” was taking place that night. A rally was held as Chief fans passed by to attend the event. BD Co-Sponsors: I-Resist Coalition, MEChA de UIUC, Changing Women, Red Roots, Latina/o Studies Graduate Student Organization, Critical Research Collaborative, Campus Antiwar Network, S.T.O.P. Coalition, Feminist Majority, ChiL@ - The Chicana/Latino Association for Autonomous Anthropology, Collaborative-History Graduate Students of Color Organization, Graduate Employees Organization (G.E.O.), La Colectiva, ISO, Students for Justice In Palestine, NAACP, Amnesty International
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