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FRIDAY, APRIL 5, 2002

"A group of students at the University of Northern Colorado, unable to persuade an area high-school to change a Native American mascot it considered offensive, named its intramural basketball team "The Fightin' Whites." The team is made up of Native Americans, Hispanics and Anglos. Players wear jerseys that say "Every thang's going to be all white."

"The message is, let's do something that will let people see the other side of what it's like to be a mascot," Solomon Little Owl, one of the players, said when the team was formed last month.

The Fightin' Whites -- it sounds like the title of a cheesy teen flick -- have a noble cause: to sensitize people to the hurt minorities feel in everyday life. Even if that hurt is caused by something as seemingly innocuous as a team name. Chief Wahoo, the cartoon character that serves as a logo for the Cleveland Indians, may seem innocent, but it is a symbol of degradation to some Native Americans.

And yet ... these Whites may be fightin,' but their aggression seems misplaced. And not just because they should try to rise above their tormentors, not mimic them. . . "

Get the Story:
Robert Seltzer: As dissent, Fightin' Whites falls flat (The El Paso Times 4/5)

Relevant Links:
Fighting Whities Merchandise - http://www.fightingwhites.org
Fighting Whities Merchandise - http://www.cafepress.com/fightinwhite/products.aspx?storeid=fightinwhite

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