The following transcript is from the 4/14/00 Chief Illiniwek dialogue "intake session". It is an unedited excerpt from the original U.I. document.

The following is a composite of several of these speeches. In October of 1946, Julius Streicher was convicted at Nuremberg of Crimes Against Humanity. His crime: Authoring anti-Semitic articles, editorials, cartoons and images. These images depicted Jewish people in such a derogatory manner so as to dehumanize them and help make possible the termination of six million Jewish people by the Third Reich. The tribunal found him complicit in genocide and deserving of death by hanging.

Fifty-four years later, our Chief Illiniwek carries on as a Julius Streicher's tradition of racism. The Chief, in many Native's societies, holds the revered role of a political and spiritual leader. To take that role and to turn it into a vehicle of entertainment at a half-time show is an insult. It would be akin to having a mascot of the Pope celebrating communion in the middle of a football field.

Such distorted caricatures of a people make possible their dehumanization. The United Nations 1948 Convention on Punishment and Prevention of the Crime of Genocide makes it a crime against humanity to foster those conditions which promote the eradication of an identifiable human group. Thus stating in no uncertain terms the causal relationship between racist propaganda and the implementation of racist social policy.

Non-Native people since 1492 have claimed by force the right to own, sell and mock Native American culture; to misrepresent, commodify and desecrate Native American religion, to humiliate, defame and invalidate the voices of Native American students, elders and spiritual leaders.

Over five hundred years later, subordination is real, only the instrument of oppression today is a prancing Chief Illiniwek. Joe Gone, a former student at UIUC stated: "The Chief is not created randomly or out of thin air, it follows in well worn trajectories in the American historical tradition of how we represent Indian people, and that qualifies as a racial stereotype." End quote.

The place and time for honor and reparation is not at a half-time minstrel show. If the UI administration wanted to honor Native history and culture, it would have established a Native American studies program and cultural center. If the administration were interested in serving its Native American students, it would have hired a dean of Native American students. Instead, our administration has lied to and treated the campus community.

In 1997 Board member Susan Gravenhorst stated, quote, "I just want to make sure that everyone understands that the University has a very strong commitment to the Native American students," end quote. A few years ago, Gravenhorst demonstrated this commitment by promising Native American students a dean. They were strung along in the selection process for almost a year only to be told that funding for this position had magically disappeared.

That's not really what I would call commitment. It sounds more like something I once read of former US President Andrew Jackson. In an 1830 statement to Congress he said, "Toward the aborigines of this country, no one can indulge a more friendly feeling than myself." End quote.

Now this is coming from a man who spent the greater portion of his life implementing such racist policies as the Indian Removal Act which resulted in the infamous Trail of Tears.

In conclusion, I would like to reiterate: The existence of racist propaganda facilitates the implementation of racist, social policy. An indispensable step in making the U of I more inclusive of all persons is the elimination of Chief Illiniwek. Thank you.

MODERATOR GARIPPO: Those who have prepared remarks, if you would leave a copy of your prepared remarks, it would be helpful to the court reporter. Go ahead.

See the U.I. Dialogue on Chief Illiniwek page for more transcripts and information.