KNOXVILLE NEWS SENTINEL

RACIST CARTOON
INDIAN MASCOT
SEMINOLE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

this extremely bigoted cartoon appeared in the

KNOXVILLE NEWS SENTINEL
January 3, 1999

Here is a cartoon that appeared in the Knoxville News Sentinel, January 3,
1999. It was a full page, all color piece that is obviously hurtful and
hateful to Native Americans and specifically to Seminole tribals. This cartoon
shows you what the bigotry that is being promoted by FSU Seminoles.

The stereotypes in it are hideous. It is not funny. It is not right and it
is pervasive in the FSU zone of influence. When people ask you what the
problem is with Seminole mascots at FSU send them to this page. Ask them if
the line found in this cartoon:

"The all new improved Trail of Tears" was redrawn with a Teuton in his
train running over a Jew and rewritten to
"The all new improved Jewish Gas Chambers"

Would that be acceptable?

The untold story of what this mascot does to people is encourage persecution
and oppression of mascot objectors of any race and their families. It
discourages them from attending the University or leaves them frustrated and
angry and resentful if they cannot help but attend. It leaves them fearful about their
safety and the safe passage of their children. You don't have to be
Native American to get a gut full of misery over this issue.

It certainly does discourage anybody from living in the same town with the
rituals and images everywhere. To be an objector to Indian mascots in any
town is tough but to take up this human rights cause in the town of its
origin is like taping "kick me" sign on your back kid's back.

Here is a heads up on getting involved in what you may be getting told is a
"minority" issue. When the United Methodist Church made their proclamation
that they were against Indian mascots the committee on race took a stance. I
called Reverend Surdell Brethet in Salina, Kansas who is the chair for the
committee on race in Kansas area. I asked him to accompany our team to the
Little River Redskins board of education meeting in May. He is African
American and full well knows and understands the issue and his church's
commitment to it. He declined and gave me this reason, "We need more white
people on these committees".

For you folks that are writing these letters and doing this work in your
community and getting intimidated and threatened and still saying this is an
issue that "hurts Naive Americans" take a look at the depth of racism in
American. This issue is hurting you and your kids, no matter what race you
are. If you let them teach your kids to embrace stereotyping and your kids
have to live and survive with these racists you're being victimize too. This
issue is way beyond the "help the Indian come into the 21st century" stage.
Every race and ethnic heritage is being hurt by
stereotyping of Native Americans.

It is a controversial subject, but those who have objected to the mascot in
public in their own towns understand this issue goes way beyond the "I am
insulted" point. The threats, intimidation and shutting out engaged in by
the mascot promoters, which include FSU and the alleged Seminole tribal
leadership must be held accountable. That is going to mean law suits. That
kind of action is going to flush out the truth about whether the Seminole
Tribe supports the mascot or if just certain individuals are responsible.
When it comes to defending a legal challenge and paying up, the truth, which
is pretty obvious already, will be told in public about how deeply any
Indian wants their kid to be a mascot. Somebody needs to tell that truth and
the separation between Indian mascot and human being needs to be made.

File those civil rights complaints with the Dept of Education Office of
Civil Rights because they need to be made but understand this avenue is
different from a law suit.

There is a double standard here that all mascot schools and the Dept of
Justice and Dept of Education want you to accept. It proves the racial bias
on the negative side promoted by the government.

1. If one person or even one so called Indian group wants to be a mascot,
then all Indians as a group are mascots.
2. If one person or group, from any race, objects to the rituals of Indian
ethnic stereotyping the treatment of Indians as a group is dissolved.

Matthew Richter

INDIAN MASCOT REFERENCE PAGE

PHOTO ESSAYS | "KILLING OF THE CHILDREN" | FRONT PAGE!VETERANS | SEARCH

Send responses to Contact Us

American Indian cartoons American Indian cartoons American Indian cartoons American Indian cartoons American Indian cartoons

racism racist American Indian cartoons and racism Indian bigotry bigots white bigotry Klan school racism racial radical white supremacy supremacy Indians native Americans racism Native America racist cartoons racism Indian cartoons and racism racist American Indian cartoons video cartoons white supremacy and American Indian Cartoons racism racist American Indian cartoons and racism Indian bigotry bigots white bigotry Klan school racism racial radical white supremacy supremacy Indians native Americans racism Native America racist cartoons racism Indian cartoons and racism racist American Indian cartoons video cartoons white supremacy and American Indian Cartoons

racism racist American Indian cartoons and racism Indian bigotry bigots white bigotry Klan school racism racial radical white supremacy supremacy Indians native Americans racism Native America racist cartoons racism Indian cartoons and racism racist American Indian cartoons video cartoons white supremacy and American Indian Cartoons

racism racist American Indian cartoons and racism Indian bigotry bigots white bigotry Klan school racism racial radical white supremacy supremacy Indians native Americans racism Native America racist cartoons racism Indian cartoons and racism racist American Indian cartoons video cartoons white supremacy and American Indian Cartoons