<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">I think this is a marvelous initiative, one that AWARE in all its power should support.<div><br></div><div>--mkb</div><div><br></div><div><br><div><div>On Oct 13, 2010, at 9:52 PM, Jesse Phillippe wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div class="im">Dear AWARE,<br> <br>In March of 2007, the University of
Illinois formally retired the "Chief Illiniwek" mascot as its symbol.
Nonetheless, "Students for Chief Illiniwek" has continued to revisit the
Chief issue by hosting an event known as "The Next Dance" that will
occur at Assembly Hall on Oct. 23rd at 7pm. The University
Administration continues to allow this organization to profit off of a
caricature of American Indian people, and it must stop.<br>
<br></div>In response to the continued efforts to host the retired
mascot on our campus, The <span>I</span>-<span>Resist</span>
Coalition and Students for a United Illinois are organizing two events under the theme <b>NEW
MASCOT NOW!</b> because it is time for our campus to move on. We are
hosting these events during the week of "The Next Dance", first a <b>Rally
at Swanlund</b> to raise our voices to the Administration, and second, a
<b>Rally at Assembly Hall </b>with a<b> "We've Moved On" Unity Party</b> to
follow. We hope these events will help educate and mobilize the
community to move on from the
former mascot and the racial stereotypes it perpetuates.<br>
<br>We are contacting your organization to see if you would be willing
to co-sponsor these events with <span>I</span>-<span>Resist</span> and Students for a United Illinois, and also to publicize the events to
your membership. Co-sponsorship would consist of having your group's
name on publicity materials, actively encouraging members to attend
these events, and allowing your organization to speak at the Rally if
interested. The time and location of the events are below.
<div class="im">Thanks and we look forward to hearing from you!<br> <br></div><span>I</span>-<span>Resist</span>
Coalition and Students for a United Illinois<br><a href="http://www.iresist.org/" target="_blank"><br></a><div class="im"><p><b><font size="4">NEW MASCOT NOW! Rally at Swanlund<br></font></b>Friday,
October 22nd<br>12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.<br>In front of Swanlund
Administration Building (corner of John and Sixth Streets)<br></p>
</div><div class="im"><i>Join us as we let the Administration know it is time to move past
the former "Chief" mascot and unite behind a new mascot.<br>
</i> <br><b><font size="4">NEW MASCOT NOW! Rally at Assembly Hall<br></font></b>Saturday,
October 23rd<br>6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.<br>Meet outside of Assembly Hall<br>
<br></div><i>Join us as we rally to show how events like "The Next Dance"
perpetuate a racial stereotype, divide our campus, and prevent us from
moving forward as a campus. The "We've Moved On" Unity Party will follow this
event.<br><br></i><b><font size="4">"WE'VE MOVED ON" Unity </font><font size="4">Party<br></font></b>Saturday,
October 23rd<br>7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.<br>Location TBD<br><br><i>After
we rally against the mascot, we will be providing the campus with a
genuinely entertaining party to serve as an alternative to "The Next
Dance."</i><br>
<br>
<font size="4"><b>Thank you and we would appreciate your support.</b></font>
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