(image via http://library.duke.edu) Last week, the New York Times published a really interesting article concerning Mardi Gras Indians, specifically looking at the possibility of the “Indians” copyrighting their costumes so their images can’t be used in things like calendars, promotional materials, etc, without their consent. I’ll get to that issue in a second post, but I think the entire concept …
Robin Lopez wore a Stanford Indian shirt, and 15,000 people saw
(image via “Official Twitter feed for Phoenix Suns forward Jared Dudley” link here) This is Phoenix Suns player and Stanford alum Robin Lopez…wearing a Stanford Indians shirt. For those of you unfamiliar with the Stanford mascot history, in 1972, as a direct result of Stanford Native student activism, the university finally banned the use of that stereotypical image you …
“9 Questions Natives have for White People” and White fragility: That time I was in Buzzfeed videos
(That’s me! I’m a gif! I’ve made it!) You might have noticed lately that Buzzfeed has been putting out a lot more race and social justice themed content, and even has included a series of videos featuring Native folks: “Native Americans Try on Indian Costumes,” “Native Americans react to Indian mascots,” “If Native Americans said the things white people say,” …
Missing the point on the Red Mesa Redsk*ns
A few weeks ago, Washington Post reporter Ian Shapira covered the “controversy” around the Daily Show’s segment on the Washington Racial Slurs. I, as you may remember, was not a fan of the way the story was covered. To Shapira’s credit, he reached out to me, and several other of my Native friends involved in the Daily Show debate or …
“She’s so pale”: The good and bad of national exposure
Last week I chatted with a super kind and engaged reporter at NPR. She found my blog because my colleague (thanks Todd!) tweeted her in response to a call for interesting education folks to follow on Twitter. She read through my blog, and came upon a post I wrote a couple years ago–“Dear Native student who was just admitted to college“–and …
Kwatsan Tribe refuses Dan Snyder’s “Blood Money”
The past few months there have been whispers, rumors, and tales in Indian Country of Dan Snyder’s ‘people’ calling up tribal members, community organizations, and tribal councils–of offers of cash, of closed door secret meetings, of requests to fly tribal members out to DC for photo ops, of passing out team gear at powwows, of a desperate, covert PR campaign. …
“Proud to Be”: NCAI’s answer to the R-word mascot debate
I’ve been sent this video a bazillion times in the last few days, and I think it’s a powerful and important PSA to add to the mascot “debate”*. I’ve watched it a few times through, and the message by the end is incredibly clear, and I love the final shot of the helmet, without having to say the R-word, asking …
Canadian iTunes App Store Censors the Word RedSk*n
See that picture above? That’s what Ian Campeau of A Tribe Called Red sees when he searches for the word “RedSk*n” (without the asterisk) in the Canadian iphone app store. I’ve been searching online to see if there was any announcement accompanying this change, any statement about why or how this happened or who was responsible, and I’ve got …
Dear Defender of the new Atlanta Braves Cap
Dear entitled-full-of-sh*t-not-so-secretly-racist fan of Indian mascots, I’m pretty sick of your behavior right now. I’ve written a lot of well-reasoned posts about mascots. I’ve provided both appeals to emotion and to science. I’ve shared stories about how people “like you” have changed their minds about Indian mascots. I’ve shared my own experiences about how I, as a Native person, feel when …
I eat stereotypes like you for breakfast.
My friend Jeremiah sent me this picture last night via twitter, and in my head, I thought “I could make some stereotype biscuits for breakfast!” Which got me thinking. How many products with stereotypical imagery could I fit in one imaginary breakfast? All of these products are readily available (though some are regional), and I decided not to include vintage …