And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
Oklahoma Indian Times Inc., Editors and Publishers: Elizabeth Gray and
Jim Gray, P.O. Box 692050, Tulsa, OK 74169, or email to
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Why teachers can't ignore Indian mascots
http://www.okit.com/opinion.htm
By Cornel Pewewardy - Guest Columnist
Why should anyone, especially teachers, allow his or her students to
uncritically adopt a cartoon version of a people's culture as an Indian
mascot or logo? Students need to be educated about the negative effects of
racist Indian mascots and logos portrayed by sports teams. Some students
have told me that they don't see the Indian mascot issue as important as
those of alcoholism, substance abuse, and poverty. Some even say it's "too
much fuss over team names," "we're just having fun," or "what's the point?"
They don't see the connection, simply because they're not close to the
issues of Indian education on a daily basis. What a lot of people do not
see is the mimicking and protesting that goes on in sporting arenas. They
are not going to see the problem if they don't think there is a problem. I
see the root cause of this negative portrayal of Indian mascots as
"dysconscious racism" that triggers cultural violence in sporting arenas.
This is a form of racism that tacitly accepts dominant white norms and
privileged schools. The way in which Indian mascots and logos are used
today is racism in American sports culture. The irony is that this
phenomena has become as "American as apple pie and baseball" to make fun of
Indian people in athletic events across American sports culture.
While the Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves, Washington Redskins, Kansas
City Chiefs, University of Illinois Fighting Illini, Florida State
University Seminoles, Southeastern Oklahoma State University Savages,
Wichita North High School Redskins, and many more educational institutions
have resisted the pressure to change, scores of colleges, universities, and
high school teams have adopted new names over the years. For example,
Stanford changed from Indians to the "Cardinal." Dartmouth changed from
Indians to "The Big Green." Ohio's Miami University Redskins became the
"Red Hawks." Marquette University Warriors are now the "Golden Eagles."
Most recently, Oklahoma City University changed from Chiefs to the "Stars."
These name changes shouldn't have to go through ugly alumni and student
backlashes that smear Indian complainants as activist or militant.
Some large school districts across the nation like Dallas Public Schools
and Los Angeles Public Schools have already eliminated Indian mascots from
their schools as the result of active parent and education advocacy groups
working closely with school officials. Wisconsin and Minnesota have
recommended that publicly funded schools not use mascots, names or logos
that have been deemed offensive to Indigenous Peoples.
Who should decide what is demeaning and racist? Clearly, the affected party
determines what is offensive. It is not for unaffected members of society
to dictate how the affected party should feel. Many indigenous people do
not feel mascots and logos such as those of the Cleveland Indians and
Washington Redskins promote good character representations of their
respective cultures. The wide-mouth grin of the Cleveland Indians and
Oklahoma's Eskimo Joes is the equivalent to the blackface representation of
the 1920s that overly displayed racist stereotypes of African Americans.
"Chief Wahoo," is still the Cleveland Indians' logo. Despite Indians'
protests against using their images as sports mascots, dozens of teams
continue to use unflattering, stereotypical symbols. For many people not
closely associated with Indian education, chances are that they might not
see the psychological impact of negative stereotypes used in schools upon
children. As a former elementary teacher, coach, and principal, I try to
get teachers to see the psychological impact upon children. It is an issue
of metacognition - one more cause for low self-esteem in American Indian
children.
As a result, professional groups have rushed to support the elimination of
negative mascots used in schools like the Mental Health Association of
Minnesota and Society of Indian Psychologists of the Americas. There are
plenty other professional organizations that support the elimination of
negative Indian mascots used in schools like the National Indian Education
Association, United Indian Nations of Oklahoma, Governor's Interstate
Indian Council, Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council, National Congress of
American Indians, NAACP, and NCAA.
My challenge is to teachers. As long as such mascots remain within the
arena of school activities, both Indian and non-Indian children are
learning to tolerate racism in schools. That's what children see at school
and on television. As a result, schools only reinforce the negative images
projected by popular culture. This is precisely what sport teams with
negative Indian mascots teach them -- that it is acceptable racism to
demean a race or group of people through American sports culture.
Therefore, this serves as a powerful teaching moment that could help to
deconstruct the fabricated images and manufactured pictures of Indian
people that most school-age children have burned into their psyche by 50
years of mass media.
Finally, I challenge teachers to provide the intellectual school leadership
that will teach a critical perspective of multicultural education and help
eliminate the cultural violence associated with Indian mascots used in
schools. Inaction in the face of racism is racism. That's why teachers
can't ignore Indian mascots.
Dr. Cornel Pewewardy (Comanche-Kiowa) is a former elementary teacher, high
school coach, and principal. He has been working toward the elimination of
negative Indian mascots used in schools for 15 years. Dr. Pewewardy is
currently an assistant professor in the Department of Teaching and
Leadership, School of Education at the University of Kansas.
Reprinted under the Fair Use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html
doctrine of international copyright law.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit)
Unenh onhwa' Awayaton
http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/
UPDATES: CAMP JUSTICE
http://shell.webbernet.net/~ishgooda/oglala/
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
