wfn.org | UCC leaders meet with Star Tribune editors on policy shift

[powellb@ucc.org]

United Church of Christ
General Synod Newsroom
Tuesday, July 15, 2003
newsroom@ucc.org
http://www.ucc.org

By William Winslow

MINNEAPOLIS?Native American activists were elated when the Minneapolis Star
Tribune became one of the country's first metropolitan dailies to ban
Indian team names from its sports pages. Now, they are crying foul as this
spring the paper rescinded its policy.

Native Americans complained to the United Church of Christ when its General
Synod convened here, and a delegation met with the paper's managing editor
Scott Gillespie.

"We expressed our keen disappointment," said UCC general minister and
president the Rev. John H. Thomas. He was accompanied by Bernice Powell
Jackson, executive minister of Justice and Witness Ministries and Juanita
J. Helphrey of her staff; the Rev. Kim Mammedaty, executive director of the
UCC's Council for American Indian Ministry, and the Rev. Clyde Steckel,
minister of the UCC's regional Minnesota Conference.

Native Americans have long complained that Indian-named sports teams and
mascots are pejorative, a good example being the Cleveland Indians baseball
team and its Chief Wahoo mascot. Previously, the Star Tribune would refer
to the Cleveland ball club in its reporting.

Managing editor Gillespie acknowledged the change was a difficult one to
make but insisted it was a journalistic one.

Thomas said the church would continue to press its concerns. It was not
clear if the paper would be open to continued dialogue. Previous General
Synods have gone on record supporting Native sensitivities.

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