ALERT

Dear Taskforce Members and Supporters,

This Press Release was sent to the media today on taskforce letterhead:
For Release On:
July 31, 2014

Discrimination Celebration in Berlin

For several weeks an ad for a celebration sponsored by the Save the Berlin Mascot
Committee has appeared in the Berlin Journal. (Berlin Indian Meet & Greet). In an
attempt to educate the community and counter the idea of celebrating the
continuation of racial discrimination, the WIEA Indian Mascot and Logo Taskforce
is placing an educational ad in the Oshkosh Northwestern on Thursday July 31,
Saturday August 2 and Wednesday August 6. (Berlin Ad). This use of the Berlin team
name and logo by a non-school sanctioned entity and outside of the school environs
is in direct contradiction to the stated intent of the Berlin Area School District Board
expressed in January, when the board decided to create a review committee and to
thoroughly examine the race-based Indian mascot, team name and logo issue and its
Wisconsin American Indian curriculum before making any decision about whether
to retain or continue on the path to retire its Berlin Indians symbolism. Several
members of the Wisconsin Indian Education Association Indian Mascot and Logo
Taskforce attended that meeting and offered the board support and assistance.

The use of race-based Indian stereotypes as team names and logos by our public
schools is a core issue in public education dealing with pupil discrimination and
should not be trivialized. Indian mascots are a form of racial bullying that harms
native children and teaches all school children to tolerate racial stereotypes. The
Save the Berlin Mascot Committee event highlighting a political candidate as a
featured speaker with the Berlin High School logo juxtaposed has the appearance of
using the school logo in a political ad. Since the Save the Berlin Mascot Committee is
a non-school sponsored group this political use of the Berlin School Logo is very
disturbing. No school district can guarantee that another district will use its mascot
kindly in competitions, the Berlin School Board cannot control the use of its logo
within the town itself.

Wisconsin Indian educators and our allies will do all we can to assist the good
people in the Berlin community in better understanding the impact of the school
districts stereotypical Indian logo on students residing within the community and
elsewhere in the state of Wisconsin

Barbara E. Munson(Oneida)



Here are some Action Ideas:
1. Participate in the dialogue in newspapers and social media. Look for editorial
page articles and opinion letters to respond to in the Oshkosh Northwestern and
other newspapers throughout the state.
2. Write letters and op.ed. pieces. We will need a variety of writers and perhaps
over an extended period of time.
3. Call the City Inn, Lance Schultz Mgr. (920)361-4769 and ask why he is hosting
a meeting that is a discrimination celebration.
4. Contact the Berlin Area School District board and administration,
Superintendent Bob Eidahl (920)361-2004. Ask if the event is endorsed by the
school district since it is being advertised using the Districts logo and team
name. If no, will the District so state in the record. Where and how will that look?
Message individual School Board Members at (920)361-2004 : Mark Finger, Sue
Haase, Linda Reetz, Catherine Kujawa, Tricia Polakowski, Ken Doro, Beth
Malchetske, Todd DeRuyter, Lori Kray, and Paul Werch.
5. Ask Representative Joan Ballweg, 41st Assembly District
rep.ballweg@legis.wi.gov (608)266-8077 why she is participating in a celebration
of racial discrimination. Ask if her event is endorsed by the Berlin Area School
District? Ask her to reconsider this campaign event.
6. Contact the Berlin Veterans Foundation (920)229-5856 and ask if they
endorse this event celebrating racial discrimination as their phone number is
attached to the Save the Berlin Mascot Committee ad.
7. Contact the head of the Save the Berlin Mascot Committee, Barbara Resop
(920)290-3152 and ask her why she is organizing this discrimination celebration.

We will share all of the above with Eradicating Offensive Native Mascotry,
EONM.org for disbursal to their contacts across the nation. So get ready to
participate in a twitter storm. You can find them on facebook at EONMassoc

We will share all the above with the ACLU of Wisconsin.

We are planning an Education Sharing for the press and public at the Berlin High
School at 6PM on Wednesday August 13 (at the same time as the Meet and
Greet) and for 45 minutes before the BASD School Board Meeting at 7PM that
evening. The press will be invited. Bring educational materials and ideas to
share. Speakers and supporters will go to the library to sign up at 6:45. We hope
to have a strong presence encouraging our speakers at the meeting. If you plan
to speak remember to sign in for public commentary before the meeting. There
will be a reminder and details for the Education Sharing meeting sent out on
Monday August 11. Please E-mail your intent to Barb@Munson.net as soon as
you can.