For more on the mascot group, see http://pages.prodigy.net/munson.
For more on the band, see http://www.ratm.com/enter.html.

The National Coalition on Racism in Sports and the Media calls for your immediate and sustained action. The University of Illinois, the state's flagship academic institution and one of our most stubborn cases on Indian mascots, is being evaluated for accreditation by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

The University administration, conveniently neglected to include the "Chief Illiniwek" issue in their required self-study, even though this had been requested and the Student-Faculty Senate had voted to eliminate the mascot (also 700 out of approx. 2100 UI faculty have expressed their opposition to this practice).

Loss of accreditation would imply putting millions of dollars in federal funds at risk. Loss of revenue, is the quickest way to get the attention of the Board of Trustees, the Chancellor and the President of the University. To that end, we are asking you to write to the chairperson of the accreditation committee and to the committee itself, asking for accreditation to be withheld until the University stops using Native peoples and their cultures for entertainment and profit.

Below is a sample letter and the addresses. Please take the time to send these off and ask your friends to do the same.

In Solidarity,
Paula Ostrovsky
Co-coordinator
NCRSM-IL

We need $40,000 to air the Youth Taskforce produced 60 second Public Service Announcement in all major Wisconsin TV venues adequately for a week.

We are working with a major advertising agency in order to co-ordinate the campaign state-wide. See website http://pages.prodigy.net/munson for flyer you can download to help solicit support funding.

YOUTH TASKFORCE REGIONAL and CHAPTER ORGANIZING

At its August meeting, the Youth Taskforce decided to organize state-wide into seven regions that parallel the regional structure of WIEA. Within each region a student group or groups, school, organization or community may develop a local chapter. Each region and each chapter will have a minimum of two (2) leaders - one adult and one youth. Information about state and national events, mailing lists, flyers, and educational material will be made available to the regional representatives from the Youth Taskforce Co-Chairs. Regional Representatives will assist in the creation of chapters; disseminate information to Chapter Leaders; oversee activities of the chapters within the region; co-ordinate regional meetings; communicate with the Youth Taskforce Co-Chairs and the WIEA Taskforce Chair; and attend Youth "Indian" Mascot and Logo Taskforce meetings. Chapter Leaders will keep the record of chapter accounts and membership; outreach to students; schedule and attend chapter meetings; and maintain good communication with the Regional Representative.

Christine Munson crmunson@prodigy.net
715-295-0018
4104 N. 6th Street
Wausau, WI 54403

Alicia Gibb dancer27@hotmail.com (414)229-7546
Sandburg Box 1192
3400N. Maryland Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53211

The National Coalition on Racism in Sports and the Media (NCRSM), a group headed by Native American leaders Floyd Red Crow Westerman, Vernon Bellecourt, Michael Haney and Charlene Teters, announces the resolutions adopted during "Mending the Circle", this year's Symposium that took place October 15th-17th, 1999 in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois.

(1) The NCRSM calls upon all sports news professionals and networks to declare their reporting racism free, as Major League Baseball presents the 1999 World Series. The NCRSM specifically requests members of the media to stop encouraging the chop, the chant and stop repeating racism through inflamatory headlines like: "Scalp'em!, Massacre them!, etc". Racially insensitive headlines, crowd shots, audio tracks of Hollywood chants (used by Turner Broadcasting, among others, to incite the stadium crowds), all contribute directly to dehumanizing a valuable group of people and are not consistent with a spirit of dialogue and cooperation

(2) The NCRSM renews its call to all professional, collegiate, and school sports teams, as well as corporations that use indigenous peoples and/or their cultures and traditions as images, names, mascots and/or logos for profit and entertainment, to abandon such practices. Most of the imagery used in this way involves the desecration of spiritual and religious symbols, and infringes upon Native peoples' traditional and cultural property rights.

(3) The NCRSM joins the NAACP, the Chicano and Latino communities in calling for an increased representation of people of color in the film and entertainment industries. The NCRSM calls upon the entertainment industry to give preference to Native actors and entertainers when casting for portrayal of Native Americans. There are too many non-Indians playing Indian roles while our talented Native actors and entertainers struggle to succeed.

(4) The NCRSM adds its support for the tourism boycott of South Carolina, called for by the NAACP National Board, until the state stops flying the Confederate flag from its Capitol. In addition, the NCRSM challenges the NAACP to strengthen its resolution against Indian mascots passed during this year's annual convention, by calling for a boycott of professional and collegiate teams with Indian mascots, logos or names; particularly the Washington football team with its stadium located next to the NAACP National Headquarters. The NCRSM asserts that just as the Confederate flag presents an affront to the sensibilities and dignity of people of African descent, so does the term Redskins to Native people. This term originally referred to the buying and selling of Indian peoples' skin and body parts for bounty during the U.S. government's active and overt campaign to exterminate Indian people.

Featured Speakers: Vernon Bellecourt, Charlene Teters,
Michael Haney, Clyde Bellecourt, Juanita Helphrey, Lawrence Baca

Special Keynotes:
I. Alcatraz Anniversary Keynote by Dr LaNada Boyer (10/16/99)
II. Fundraising Banquet Keynote by Chief Chadwick Smith, Cherokee Nation, OK (invited) (10/15/99)

Benefit Concert (10/17/99) Ulali
Floyd Red Crow Westerman
Julian B.
National Coalition on Racism in Sports and the Media
PO Box 337, Urbana, IL 61803. 217 355 6757 phone/fax. crue@uiuc.edu

Urge your senator to be the author of a Senate companion bill to Representative Frank Boyle's legislative intiative - a step toward the goal of eliminating ethnic stereotyping from our public schools. We cannot get this bill passed in the Assembly Education Committee. Our only hope is to get it to a Senate Hearing. Frank also needs Assembly Representatives to sign on to the Assembly bill.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Current law prohibits discrimination against pupils on a number of grounds, including race and ancestry. This bill provides that a school district resident may object to a school board's use of an ethnic name, nickname, logo or mascot by filing a complaint with the state superintendent of public instruction (state superintendent). The state superintendent must schedule a hearing on the complaint, at which the school board has the burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence that the use of the ethnic name, nickname, logo or mascot does not promote discrimination, pupil harassment or stereotyping. If the state superintendent finds in favor of the complainant, the state superintendent must order the school board to terminate its use of the ethnic name, nickname, logo or mascot within twelve months after issuance of the order. A school board is subject to a forfeiture of not less than $100 nor more than $1,000 for each day that it uses the ethnic name, nickname, logo or mascot in violation of the order. The decision of the state superintendent is subject to circuit court review.

Talking Points:

Under current law discrimination complaints can be filed - this law affords due process to complainants. The bill has the support of the Department of Public Instruction.

Wisconsin Indian leaders are on the cutting edge of the issue of eliminating "Indian" mascots and logos nationwide - The Wisconsin legislature is in a position to take similar leadership and to work together with Wisconsin Indian tribes in a spirit of inter-cultural harmony. The Wisconsin Indian Education Association "Indian" Mascot and Logo Taskforce will stay with the issue until all "Indian" mascots/logos/nicknames are eliminated from Wisconsin public schools.

Lakes Inter Tribal Council (GLITC) adopted a resolution in January of this year calling for the elimination of "Indian" mascots and logos by the dawn of the new millenium.

The Youth Indian Mascot and Logo Task Force (a consortium of Indian and non-Indian high school and college students will continue to keep the issue alive in the state of Wisconsin until all "Indian" mascots/logos/ nicknames are eliminated from the public schools. The issue will not go away.

Model Letter to Senators from WIEA "Indian" Mascot and Logo Taskforce:

Senator , District
P.O. Box 7882
Madison, WI 53707- 7882

Dear Senator,

The Wisconsin Indian Education Association "Indian" Mascot and Logo Taskforce has repeatedly called for the removal of stereotypical depictions of Indian people from school environments. Forty-two Wisconsin public school districts still have "Indian" logos and team names. Discrimination complaints under current 118.13 statues divide local communities and heighten cultural misunderstandings. In Milton and Mukwonago, after much harassment, the Indian complainants were forced out of the communities where the "Redmen" and "Indian" symbols remain. In Menomonie the community was so divided that school board members were recalled for supporting the student council?s desire to remove their generic "Indian" mascot. In January of this year The Great Lakes Inter Tribal Council (GLITC) adopted a resolution opposing the continued use of these derogatory symbols in our tax-payer supported schools. Wisconsin Indian people could not more clearly state their opposition to this practice that affects our cultures and maintains a breeding ground for racism within our state?s educational facilities. Please be a good neighbor and help us to free all Wisconsin school children from forced exposure to a form of racism in our public schools. Make our schools a safe place for learning to occur. Far from going away, opposition to the use of "Indian" mascots, logos and nicknames in the schools is gaining momentum across the nation. In addition to the bill already introduced in our state, legislation is pending in California and New York. Wisconsin Indian educators and Wisconsin tribes are leading the nation in working toward eradicating this form of institutionalized racism. The time has come for our state legislature to stand with Wisconsin Indian people and take its place on the cutting edge of inevitable change. Now is the time for the inspiring progressive national leadership that Wisconsin is uniquely ready to provide because its Indian nations and its legislature are both strong and ready to work together. We need your help.

A bill written by representative Frank Boyle in consultation with the Department of Public Instruction would help to free all our children from symbolic racism in the schools. Even before its introduction, Assembly Education Committee Chairperson, Steven Nass stated that he would quash the bill. In order to get a fair hearing it is necessary that the measure be introduced and submitted to the Senate Education Committee. Please consider being the author of the companion bill.

To provide an update I am sending you copies of Appeal 2000, our current position paper, and the GLITC Resolution. Please advise me of your intended action in regard to this bill and if you need further background information please let me know.

Thank you for your time and attention,

Sent to: James Baumgart, Roger Breske, Brian Burke (endorsed last years bill), Charles Chvala, Alice Clausing, Robert Cowles, Alberta Darling, Russell Decker, Jon Erpenback (Verona School District), Gary George (Senator on the American Indian Studies Committee), Richard Grobschmidt (Chair of the Senate Education Committee), Robert Jauch, Rodney Moen, Gwendolynne Moore (Senate author of last year's companion bill), Kimberly Plache, Fred Risser (Senate Majority Leader), Kevin Shibilski, Robert Wirch.

Schools judged to have discriminatory mascots, nicknames or logos would be forced to abandon them or face substantial fines under a proposal made Wednesday by Rep. Frank Boyle (D-Superior).

During a Capitol news conference, Boyle listed 40 school districts -- including the Mukwonago School District -- that he said had discriminatory American Indian logos, mascots or nicknames.

Rep. Steve Nass (R-Whitewater), who represents Mukwonago and Milton, which also was on Boyle's list, immediately denounced Boyle's proposal.

"This bill would make political correctness the new standard for discrimination," Nass said.

Nass said that at his news conference Boyle had labeled the use of American Indian mascots, nicknames and logos as "ignorant." He demanded that Boyle apologize.

"The people of Mukwonago and Milton are hard-working, decent people and are certainly not ignorant or racist," Nass said in a statement sent to Boyle.

Under Boyle's proposed legislation, a resident of a school district could file a complaint with the state objecting to the district's use of a nickname, mascot or logo. The state superintendent of schools then would be required to hold a hearing on the complaint.

The burden for proving that a district's nickname, mascot or logo was not discriminatory and did not promote pupil harassment or stereotyping would fall to the school board.

If the state superintendent of schools ruled against the school board, the district would be ordered to stop using the name or symbol within a year. If use continued, a fine of between $100 and $1,000 could be levied for each day the order was violated.

"While I certainly don't advocate any additional costs or conflict for our school systems, I also won't stand by and watch students suffer from stereotypical actions taken by our schools," Boyle said.

Under current law, a resident of a school district may file a complaint with the state Department of Public Instruction charging that a mascot, nickname or logo is discriminatory. DPI conducts an investigation and makes a decision.

In the cases it has investigated, the department has found American Indian mascots, logos and nicknames not to be discriminatory. But, at the same time, the department has expressed concern over whether those school symbols foster a school environment that may make American Indian students feel uncomfortable.

David Smette, superintendent of the Menomonie Area School District, said he fears Boyle's proposal would create even more conflict over an issue that already is fraught with it.

"We've had a lot of conflict in the district" over its Indian name and logo, which is a Plains Indian wearing a headdress, Smette said.

The issue led to the 1997 recall of three Menomonie School Board members who had voted to drop the nickname. Although the nickname was dropped, it later was reinstated.

"It doesn't sound like a solution," Smette said of Boyle's proposal.

Ken Cole, executive director of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards, said "communities ought to know best."

Over the last six years, about 25 school districts have voluntarily ended the use of American Indian mascots and logos. But the process is often one that has to evolve, Cole said. "People think they lose a connection, and there are a lot of people who don't have connection to a lot of things."

Jean Cruikshank, president of the Mukwonago School Board, agreed with Cole that Boyle's proposal makes it more difficult for a community to make the ultimate decision. Several years ago, a complaint was lodged against the Mukwonago district's use of the nickname "Indians" and its logo. In 1995, the DPI ruled that the name and logo were not discriminatory -- but it did give the district a "corrective action plan" designed to ensure that the name and logo would be used with dignity and respect.

"I'm always for local control, regardless of the issue," Cruikshank said.

Geoff Steinbach, activities director for the Arrowhead School District in Hartland, said although Arrowhead High School teams are nicknamed "Warhawks," there is nothing discriminatory about it.

"The historical logo of Arrowhead High School is a winged hawk," Steinbach said.

There was a time, when the school was in the Braveland athletic conference, an Indian head image was used on some certificates and other items. The only logo that is used now depicts a hawk, he said.