Tag: diversity

A look at Native American mascots in sports

Schools and professional sports teams who adopt Native American names and mascots are often questioned about the ethics of those choices. This librarian went to the University of Illinois during the time in which the mascot, a live-actor/dancing Chief Illiniwek, was officially retired. Other instances range from the Kansas City Chiefs to the Washington Redskins, and that’s just professional football.

Today’s book, The Native American Mascot Controversy: A Handbook, covers the depth and scope of the often-controversial topic. If you’re interested in a look at the history of Native American imagery in sports and a look at their potential impact on race relations in the United States, this is a valuable collection of primary documents and essays.

The Civil Rights Movement in Kansas

I wasn’t educated in Kansas, but most of the Civil Rights discussions we had in school focused on the deep South. A book like today’s Book of the Day, Dissent in Wichita: The Civil Rights Movement in the Midwest by Gretchen Cassel Eick, is beneficial to those intrested in what the attitudes towards race and events of the movement looked like right here in Kansas. The focus of this book serves as a reminder that important activities in the prime of the Civil Rights Movement happened well outside of the more prevalently documented cases in places like Alabama or Mississippi.  With interviews of witnesses and activists, this book can bring added demension to race relations and the Civil Rights Movements of the 1950s through 70s.

Congratulations, Miguel Morales

miguelLibrary employee Miguel Morales has been named a Diversity Fellow, a position within JCCC’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Some of the countless exemplary qualities Miguel brings to the group include his work with student groups like LUNA (Latinos United Now and Always) and Queers & Allies; his contributions to both latino/latina publications and the ODEI journal, Voices; his public speaking engagements to faculty; and many more examples exceeding what many accomplish in a lifetime (at least me).
In addition to Miguel, Kerri Stephenson of the Foreign Language department was also named a Fellow. She also is a part of LUNA and has many outreach programs under her belt. Congratulations to both of them.