Rally protests Chief patrons

Many gather to speak out against the Chief

by Katherinne Bardales, Daily Illini reporter

Many celebrate the Columbus Day holiday today, but from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. on the Quad, Native American activists, and other students will gather for the annual anti-Columbus Day rally against Chief Illiniwek.

Republican conservatives will hold a rally of their own in order to refute the anti-Chief protest.

There will be five speakers at the anti-Chief rally. Among them will be Rose Stremlau, spokesperson for People Against Racism and the Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative, Paula Ostrovsky, who is involved with Alumni Against Racist Mascots; Bill Winnishek and Vicki Wade, two active Indian American students and Chestor Fontenot, a professor from the Department of English and African American Studies.

Stremlau will be addressing why most students in cultural programs dont agree with the Board of Trustees' claim that Chief Illiniwek honors Native Americans.

"The BOT says that it doesn’t have money for an Asian-American cultural program, but they continue to give resources to the Chief," said Stremlau.

Ostrovsky, a postdoctoral staff member in the microbiology department, received her Ph.D. at the University in 1993. She said that the most important thing the rally will discuss isracism and educating others.

"People are starting to realize that their excitement during the sport's season is not as important as other people's dignity," she said.

Anti-Chief activists are receiving an increasing amount of support from faculty, said Ostrovsky, and maybe then the BOT will listen to what they have to say.

"We are all responsible for ending racist mascots. Since we're all represented by this, we should know where they stand and be educated," she said.

Winnishiek and Wade will discuss how the Chief is not honorable. Winnishiek will present pictures of his great-uncle, Chief of the Ho-Chunk tribe, and educate about the significance of feathers and paint, as depicted on the Chief.

"I think I'll refer to Chief Illiniwek as 'Mr. Illiniwek' -- because he’s not a real chief," said Winnishiek.

Fontenot will speak about Columbus Day and how it is related to colonialism. He will also discuss how the holiday leads to thinking that maintains the Chief despite widespread protest, said Stremlau.

Although the rally is expected to have plenty of support, there will also be opposition.

That same day there will also be a pro-Chief rally sponsored by the Federation for America’s Future (parent organization of the Campus Republicans). According to Svenson, the conservative students will counter the arguments from the anti-Chief rally, the conservative rally will take a patriotic outlook at the positive effects of western culture in America.

Svenson was not available for comment, however, there were some reactions from the organizers of the anti-Chief rally."

I don't see how the college Republicans can present themselves as pro-Chief, anti-racist," said Stremlau, "Our organization would be willing to have dialogue with the conservative Republicans, but we would like to meet in an open, equal, and respectful environment."

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