[Peace-discuss] AWARE participate in anti-"Chief" rally next Thursday?

[Brooke Anderson]

Hi AWARE folks!

I am writing to ask if AWARE would be interested in participating in 
an upcoming demonstration against "Chief Illiniwek" as the mascot and 
symbol of UIUC.

The PRC will be holding a rally on Thursday, April 15th at 12 noon at 
the UIUC Alma Mater on Green and Wright in Urbana. April 15th is the 
day that the Board of Trustees was scheduled to meet in Chicago, 
until they cancelled that meeting to avoid addressing an anti-"Chief" 
resolution that was placed on the agenda by our student trustee.

We are asking everyone who cares about racial justice and democracy 
at UIUC to attend this demonstration and call on the Board to 
eliminate the "Chief" and restore democracy to the University.

We would love for your support. Would y'all be willing to:

      1. Forward the email announcement below to your
         email lists and encourage people to attend.

      2. Bring 10+ members out to the demonstration with
         a sign that says "AWARE against the "Chief."

      3. Provide someone to speak for 1-2 mins on behalf
         of your organization about why AWARE opposes the
         "Chief," sometime between 12:45pm and 3pm.

Would you please share this message with AWARE members and let me 
know whether y'all can (1) Forward the email announcement, (2) Bring 
members out, and/or (3) Provide a speaker. If there are other ways in 
which your organization would like to participate, please let us 
know! Thank you so much for your continued support and I look forward 
to hearing from you soon.

Brooke Anderson
On behalf of the PRC

p.s. -- here is the email announcement for the rally (please forward!):

                                *  *  *  *  *

                       RALLY TO ELIMINATE "CHIEF ILLINIWEK"
                      Thursday, April 15th, 2004 from 12-3pm
                  UIUC Alma Mater, Green & Wright Streets, Urbana


Dear friends,

As many of you know, the University of Illinois Board of Trustees was 
scheduled to meet on Thursday, April 15th in Chicago. However, the 
BOT cancelled their meeting to avoid a resolution placed on their 
agenda by the student trustee to eliminate "Chief Illiniwek."

The Board is also currently trying to change their meeting rules so 
as to  forbid a single trustee from placing an issue on the agenda 
for discussion without the support of other trustees, further eroding 
the potential power of the student trustee.

These most recent moves by the Board are even more outrageous and 
undemocratic than their past actions. This reckless abuse of power 
and subversion of democracy at UIUC by the Board of Trustees has to 
be put to a stop and we need your help to do that!

Join us for a rally on Thursday, April 15th (the day the Board was 
supposed to have met) at 12 noon to demand the elimination of "Chief 
Illinwek" and a return of democracy and unity to the UIUC campus.

Please forward this email to everyone you know! For more information, 
please contact the PRC at (217) 352-6533 or at prc at prairienet.org.

Sincerely,
The PRC

-- 
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Brooke Anderson
Champaign County Health Care Consumers
44 E. Main St., Suite 208
Champaign, IL 61820
Phone = (217) 352-6533, x 17
Fax = (217) 352-9745
Email = brooke at shout.net
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