Urgent: week of December 3

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Messages which absolutely need to be seen today due to time constraints or breaking news. Remember to check the"new answers" link for the most active topics. This topic will run for a week, and then we will start a new dated "urgent" file.

-- Anonymous, December 02, 2000

Answers

Juat got this in the email round-up...Are we ready to support this and pass it on to "the powers that be?" Tobe

it comes from Christine Rose who is an educator in CT. and involved in Native issues...Charles has had conversations with her.

I am starting the organization below to address schools that are having mascot issues. I will send schools information, essays, news articles gleaned from Native News, and studies from experts. Hopefully, this will spur some schools to give up their mascots before they become embroiled in political brouhaha. I am sure that there are many of your readers involved in these issues as well as other racist issues within schools. I would appreciate it if you would post this for me. Thanks, Christine Rose

STAR, Students and Teachers Against Racism will be geared towards bringing understanding of the need for more education about Native American issues within the schools. If you are an educator or involved in education in any way, and would like to participate in this organization, fill in the section for Other Contact and note that it is for yourself, rather than for the school. If you are involved in a school that is having problems with mascots, I will be happy to send them essays, studies, and news articles about the detriments of using Native people as mascots. If you are involved in a school that has already resolved your Native mascot issues, I am very interested in hearing from you. Thank you. Christine Rose

*******STAR******* STUDENTS AND TEACHERS AGAINST RACISM

STAR is an non-profit organization that strives to bring understanding and acceptance between different cultures. If your school would like to join STAR and receive newsletters, please fill out the form below. Our hopes are that we will be able to unite schools all over the country to bring an end to racism for all people, particularly our children, whose very lives we hold in our hands.

School Name_________________________________________________ Address_____________________________________________________ City and State________________________________________________ Principal_____________________________________________________ email Address________________________________________________ Person In Charge of Multi Cultural Education____________________ _____________________________________________________________ Other Contacts________________________________________________

Do you have racial tensions within your school?__________________ Are you looking for answers to cultural questions________________ Does your school have a curriculum that addresses Native Americans in Multi Cultural Studies?____________________________ What information would you like to see made available to your school? ______________________________________________________________________ ________

______________________________________________________________________ ________

______________________________________________________________________ ________

______________________________________________________________________ ________

_____________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ________

______________________________________________________________________ ________

_______________________________________________________________

-- Anonymous, December 06, 2000


Is it too late to ask Christine Rose about a change of name, from STAR to something else? There are a lot of school systems (do we know any?...) that are in denial about the nature of the racism that goes on in their system. I can see her getting the "we're not racist" response, and having the door shut in her face, especially if it is dealing with Native American issues and the people in the district are thinking that racism means simply that you don't overtly like black people.

-- Anonymous, December 06, 2000

here's Christine's response to the name...

I have heard that from another person so I am now contemplating Students and Teachers Advocating Respect. Pete Baker came up with it and I think he might be right. Glad you are bouncing this around. Thanks for the input. Christine

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2000


I like STAR as a catchy acronym, glad she is open to thinking about just changing the words that form it. I think also that one thing activists have learned is that it is very important to be positive and "for" something, rather than the weaker "against" position.

Something that popped into my head this morning, has anyone who does graphics on Native American themes done any clip art or stock photo work showing Native Americans using computers and things like that,, and really showcased it as an alternative to the warrior image that gets used as mascot? What we seem to see as team logos are variations on the same images over and over. Might also be a negotiating chip for those schools that have to work out a compromise -- "OK, we'll call ourselves the Indians for the next 5 years, but then it is up for renegotiation, and meanwhile we'll change the image on the logo to an Indian using a computer or maybe a traditional Native American woman weaving." Might be enough to throw things off balance. Since we even had Doan agree that the Onteora images were not respectful, it still might be a bargaining chip we could use, if all else fails.

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2000


Another positive note (isn't this nice??)...Curry and I met at lunch today with the "Woodstock" clergy group. It consisted of clergy from The Wood Jewish Congregation, Wood Methodist, Shady Methodist, Wood Lutheran and Wood Reform churches, retired minister from Reform church in Red hook who now lives in Wood and a woman minister from Rosendale (active 80 year old). They were quite receptive to listening to us and to thinking about ways of "healing" the community. They ended up deciding to reach out to clergy throughout the rest of the Onteora district to host a larger lunch and then to see if a more directed approach to community building can be formed with the support of all the area religious groups. they intend to be inclusive. ..make the outreach to all, liberal, fundamentalist,etc. and all denominations that they can contact...We went away happy, hoping they will be able to bring lots of folks together as the first step.

Curry add more if you like... Tobe

encouraging.

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2000



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