Why did University of Illinois take away their old mascot?
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s mascot was a controversy dating back to the 1970s. The mascot was chosen around 1926 to be Chief Illiniwek, a Native American that was dressed in traditional clothing. In the mid-1970s there was a push to be so-called politically correct (caused by the Civil Rights movement), especially when dealing with minorities, with this trend debates started within the university as to whether Chief Illiniwek was offensive to Native Americans. Supporters of the mascot claimed that the Chief was in honor of the Native American history of Illionois, whereas opponents believed that the mascot mocked Native American symbols and rituals (such as the dances performed by the mascot) and was stereotypical of Native American culture. Protests were started in October 1989 by Charlene Teters, a member of the Spokane tribe and also a student at the university. In 1995 the United States Department of Education concluded that the mascot was not racist and didn’t
