[Peace-discuss] Re: [Announce] [Peace] Fwd: [stop] ACTION ALERT: Arraignment for Mark Nepermann Tomorrow

[Jenifer Cartwright]

Well, of course the reason the U has chosen NOT to take sides on the Chief issue is purely economic -- all those rah rah alums who tear up when they think about the Chief -- and write those big fat checks would cut off their support if the U had voluntarily ditched the Chief. We're probably talking more money than you or I could imagine... which goes for good stuff like scholarships, salaries, etc. Not sure I can entirely fault the BOT for their pragmatism -- they're having enuff trouble making ends meet as it is, w/ grants and other funding reduced. And then there are still teams like the Wash Redskins, etc etc... 
 
Seems to me that those pictures need to be assigned a value -- surely there are comps, and hopefully they're insured? It's in the court's hands now -- the U is not (officially) involved at this point -- and I hope the prosecution has a very good lawyer.
 --Jenifer   

--- On Thu, 7/2/09, Neil Parthun <lennybrucefan at gmail.com> wrote:


From: Neil Parthun <lennybrucefan at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Re: [Announce] [Peace] Fwd: [stop] ACTION ALERT: Arraignment for Mark Nepermann Tomorrow
To: "E.Wayne Johnson" <ewj at pigs.ag>
Cc: "Nora Whipple" <carbenmommy at yahoo.com>, "Court Watch" <announce at communitycourtwatch.org>, "Peace-discuss" <peace-discuss at anti-war.net>
Date: Thursday, July 2, 2009, 11:39 PM



This isn't some random artist.  He's been recognized by the Smithsonian as well as numerous foundations and even the National Foundation for the Arts.  He's taught at multiple universities and teaches currently at the University of Oklahoma.

The artist has had displays with similar themes (the backwards lettering and the "Your host is...") up in other states and in more public places than in front of the cultural houses on campus.


Yet, no vandalism there.


He's even done more confrontational work than the "Beyond the Chief" pieces..


Yet, no vandalism there.


He's even done work at other schools in the Big 10 that challenged their history of discrimination against Natives.


Yet, no vandalism there.


Out of all the pieces that he's made, put up, distributed in the public -- only in Champaign/Urbana were any of them disturbed and in the Nepermann case, actually stolen.


I wouldn't attribute the tenor on campus to being openly hostile to Natives, but I would attribute it to a monumental ignorance as to why ridding the University of the red-faced racist minstrel show was the right idea.


The University had said that it was never an issue of if we were going to get rid of the Chief, but when.  However, all of the BOT lacked the spine to make the unpopular decision for the correct reason.  So when the boogeyman of the NCAA came up, they had the entity to blame and make the expedient decision they had wanted without much of the accountability/blame.


The University could start a search for a new mascot.  They have chosen not to for some reason.  The University could hold a freshman orientation session about why the Chief was removed and why it was the appropriate decision for the school.  In fact, such an idea was given to the Chancellor and the Provost and had a lot of support.  However, it was killed by the Chancellor.


Through their silence and inaction, the University is contributing to an environment of radical ignorance which breeds intolerance.




Solidarity,
  -N.


Neil Parthun
  Sports/politics writer, UC-IMC || www.ucimc.org



"Early in life I had learned that if you want something, you had better make some noise." - Malcolm X

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