AIM Support Group of Ohio & N. Kentucky

Updates and Announcements


Saturday, April 05, 2003

 
COMMITTEE OF 500 YEARS OF DIGNITY AND RESISTANCE
P O BOX 110815, CLEVELAND, OH 44111,
http://www.geocities.com/comm500yrs/

**CALL TO CONFERENCE***

Fifth Annual Conference on Racist Imagery in the Popular Culture

"REFLECTIONS ON COLONIALISM"

This is the Official Call to Conference and Conference Agenda from the
Committee of 500 Years of Dignity and Resistance and the Racial Justice
Team of the Justice and Witness Ministries of the United Church of Christ.

Please call the Cleveland Airport Marriott Hotel (216-252-5333) for
reservations as soon as possible. Ferne can also provide you with
directions to the Church for our pre-conference registration and our
traditional community meal, since we are starting the conference there and
not at the hotel. Directions on getting to the protest will be provided at
the conference registration table.

CONFERENCE AGENDA - April 5, 6, 7, 2003
SATURDAY, April 5
1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Viewing of Charlene's Teters art at Notre Dame
College, Performing Arts
Center, Ground Floor Administration Building,Notre Dame
College, 4545 College Road, South Euclid, OH
5.00 p.m. Conference and Housing Registration at Pilgrim UCC, 2592 West
14th St., Cleveland, OH
Lecture by Bruce Kafer, RN, BSN, AD, Oglala Lakota - Cleveland
Dept of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, American
Indian/Latino outreach Coordinator
6:00 p.m. Dinner, hosted by Cleveland Native American Community,
Pilgrim UCC
Featured Guest: Nellie Boyd, Hidatsa/Assiniboine - singer and
storyteller, Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Montana

SUNDAY, April 6
8:00 a. m. Registration at Cleveland Airport Marriott, 4277 W.
150th Street, Cleveland OH
9:00 a.m. Official Welcome - Chris Begay, Dineh, Chair, 500
Years Committee
9:15 a.m. Spiritual Ceremony - Clyde Bellecourt, Pipe Carrier,
Sundancer and Founder, AIM, member, Midewin Lodge, and Nellie
Boyd, Hidatsa/Assiniboine, singer and storyteller
10:00 a.m. Environmental - Wendsler Nosie, Chiracahua Tribe, founder
Apaches for Cultural Survival, San Carlos Apache Reservation -
"Saving Mt. Graham" The Sacred Site of the Apaches
Noon Lunch
1:15 p.m. "Colonialism, Racism, Survival" - Richard Grounds, Ph.D.
Yuchi/Seminole, Project Director Euchee Language Project,
Tulsa, OK
3:30 p.m. Richard Grounds, continues Question and Answer time
5:30 p.m. Dinner
7:00 p.m. Time for Exchange of information, updates and concerns, Vernon
Bellecourt, Charlene Teters, and members of National Coalition
on Racism in Sports and Media
9:00 p.m. Closing , prayer song, Nellie Boyd

MONDAY, April 7
9:00 a.m. Gather for March and Protest, 25th and Detroit Avenue
10:00 a.m. Demonstration at Jacobs Field - NW Quadrant of Ontario
Street

For more information contact Ferne at 216-736-3725; e-mail:
clementf@ucc.org

posted by Webmaster@ AIM Support 8:00 AM


Sunday, March 30, 2003

 
How best to honor native Americans

By Alice Huffman

L E T T E R

Thank you for the series of articles covering the use of racist "Indian"
mascots in Ohio schools, universities, and professional sports teams and the
movement to eradicate this form of racism throughout the country.

Most of the claims and "arguments" made by those who wish to keep this
form of racism in their schools were "old-hat" and have been covered
previously: the myth of the Cleveland team that the name was to honor Louis
Sockalexis, the pseudo-argument that Native peoples should feel "honored" by the
stereotyping, caricaturing, and mockery of Native cultures, peoples, and
spirituality, and so forth.

The only "new" pseudo-argument was a variation of the "don't you all have
anything better to do" stand-by. In an Eagle-Gazette sports column written
by Dave Purpura, among the standard arguments of "this is all just so much
political correctness" and "you all just have too much time on your hands"
is a "new" variation of "shouldn't we be worrying about something 'really
important,' like a war?"

Of course, this pseudo-argument can only be applied to the last week; what
about all the other weeks and months and years during which Native people
and supporters and persons of conscience were capable of addressing this
issue and many, many others?

In anticipation, however, of this pseudo-argument that civil rights and
social justice should be dropped in order to focus solely on the war, we
asked the U.S. Department of Defense how many Native Americans are serving in
the U.S. military. Active-duty Native Americans number over 15,700 as of
December 2002. Native Americans have the highest rate of military service per
capita of any racial/ethnic group.

Would it not be the best honor of all to remove all the stereotyping,
caricaturing, and mockery of our veterans from schools, universities, and
professional sports teams? We are calling upon all schools, universities, and
professional sports teams to do just that.

Alice Huffman

Information Coordinator

American Indian Movement

Support Group of Ohio and Northern Kentucky

Originally published Thursday, March 27, 2003

posted by Webmaster@ AIM Support 11:49 AM

 

Friends,

Last night and this afternoon, a group repesenting the American Indian Movement Support Group of Ohio and Northern Kentucky once again welcomed the fans of Cleveland to Cincinnati. These two pre-season games were the first to be played in the new Great American Ball Park. Each time the Cleveland team visits Cincinnati, they are greeted by our group, and an attempt is made to educate them how we and thousands of other Indian and non-Indian People feel about their name and mascot. This event also served as a warm-up for the annual opening day protest held in Cleveland, which we will also attend.

In spite of getting slammed by local talk show hosts, being
verbally and, in two cases, physically assaulted by both
Cleveland fans *and* Cincinnati fans, we stood our ground and got
our message out to thousands who I am sure were not aware of the
problem previsouly. Although we were asked to leave the area by Great American Ballpark staff when we first arrived, we had verified location and legality with Cincinnati police and we politely declined.

25 persons of conscience, both Indian and non-Indian, all local area residents, dedicated to Native American Rights, specifically, the right to be respected and not to be ridiculed as a sports team mascot stood for over 5 hours with our message clear. In doing so we had to endure ridicule and degradation as we have never experienced in Cincinnati. We were, however, interviewed in one fair and unbiased news report from 700 WLW, the same radio station whose Friday night and Saturday morning talk show hosts demonized us and accused us of taking away people's "freedom of thought" while imposing their views on the audience and brooking no others.

Words can not express the gratitude I have for those who stood in the
line, and did not waver, keeping their dignity and poise under very
difficult conditions. I feel that their resolve has been
strengthened, as has mine, and we shall continue the struggle until
we are victorious in ridding this entire country of these vile
caricatures of our People.

Now we prepare for Cleveland.

posted by Webmaster@ AIM Support 11:32 AM

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