2011 Okemos High School is named after a real human being.. and is being honored with an image that looks nothing like him.

Opinions held here state (in summary):

That the Okemos High’s nickname (which some say disparages the old Ojibwa leader, Okemo) is compared to the Perishing Doughboys and the MSU Spartans, stating that the Okemo’s are no more racist or inappropriate as a name or mascot.





Doughboys are a US infantryman, especially one in World War I. - This is a JOB. 

 Spartan refers to something related to Sparta in ancient Greece (431-404 B.C.). Spartan culture was centered on loyalty to the state and military service. - So, Spartan's were an ancient people, and the logo is of a man in the military service -- A JOB!!

Okemos was a real person, a member of the Ojibwa (Chippewa) nation. He did NOT resemble the Plains-Indian looking image above. This is a stereotype. He looked like this:
And he certainly did NOT look like these Okemos yearbook images:


2011 Dec 11, Lansing State Journal 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

1927 - "We [first Americans].. ask you while you are teaching school children about America first, teach them the truth about the first Americans.

Image
In 1927, the mayor of Chicago, William H Thompson, launched a campaign to "straighten out the affairs of the schools" in Chicago by urging all textbooks to be 100% accurate and pro-American (as opposed to pro-British, he said.) The tagline for project was themed "America First." Scott H. Peters , Chippewa and president of the Grand Council Fire of American Indians  penned a letter to the mayor, asking that indigenous people be included. On December 1, 1927, the delegation presented Mayor Thompson with the following memorial: To the Mayor of Chicago: You tell all the white men "America First." We believe that. We are the first Americans. We are the only ones truly that are 100 per cent. We, therefore, ask you while you are teaching school children about America first, teach them the truth about the first Americans.              We do not know if the school histories are pro-British, but we do know that they are unjust to the life of our people,
Read more

1969 Tumbleweeds comic strip: Not everyone finds stereotyped humor funny

Image
Hates Tumbleweeds 1969 Aug 18 Progress Bulletin  Letter to the Editor: Please can you get rid of that tasteless, humorless Tumbleweeds? At least cut out the degrading stereotype of the Indian. I, for one, think it is bad for children to have "Sadistics Class" presented as though sadism were funny. I don't think drunkeness is funny either, nor suitable entertainment for kids. -- Ruth D. Keran, Pimona.  1969 Aug 18 Progress Bulletin  1967 Feb 25 The Indianapolis News  1968 April 5 The San Bernardino County  Tumbleweeds was an American comic strip that offered a skewed perspective on life in the Old West. Writer-artist Tom K. Ryan wrote "satire" that wasn't always well-accepted by indigenous people.  Ryan retired and brought Tumbleweeds to a conclusion on December 30, 2007. 1969 Jan 2 The Minneapolis Star  1969 Jan 4 The Indianapolis News  1971 April 27 The Daily Intelligencer  1971 Oct 9 The News Journal  1972, May 26  Th
Read more

1993 Runnin' Joe from Arkansas State is abolished - but the name remains

Image
Arkansas State to get new mascot  Runnin' Joe, the tomahawk-wielding Indian caricature with bared teeth and angry eyes, is being run off the campus of Arkansas State University. The school will keep its 61-year-old nickname, the Indians, university president John N. Mangieri said. But Runnin Joe, the school's official athletic symbol, will be replaced "with an appropriate new logo."  1993 Oct 16, The Journal News   Shirts still for sale  
Read more