Civil rights group to honor NCAA for mascot policy

From Staff Reports
Published: November 16, 2006

TULSA — A Tulsa civil rights group opposed to Indian mascots will honor the National Collegiate Athletic Association at an awards banquet Saturday in Tulsa.

Bernard Franklin, NCAA senior vice president of governance and membership, will accept the sports leadership award from the Tulsa Indian Coalition Against Racism, organized in 2002 to protest the Redskins mascot used by Tulsa's Union High School.

Under an NCAA rule that took effect in February, member colleges and universities cannot display Indian-themed mascots, nicknames or symbols in postseason games.

The decision also prohibits schools with Indian mascots from hosting future NCAA postseason events.

The coalition's second annual awards banquet, "Winds of Change," begins at 6:30 p.m. in the B.S. Roberts Room in North Hall at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa, 700 N Greenwood.

Other honorees include David Narcomey, director of the Oklahoma Indian Alliance, and JoKay Dowell of the Eagle and Condor Indigenous Peoples' Alliance, male and female advocate awards; Sen. Judy Eason McIntyre, D-Tulsa, legislative leadership award; Hugh Foley, associate professor at Rogers State University, media advocacy award; Sarah Mae Martin of Broken Arrow, youth in action award; and Assistant District Attorney Sean Malloy of Tulsa, community justice award.

Foley's documentary film about the 155 Oklahoma schools that use Indian mascots, "Savage Country," will be shown at the banquet.

A special award will be given posthumously to Russell Bennett, a Tulsa pastor and civil rights advocate who supported the Tulsa Indian Coalition Against Racism.

Tuesday, Northeastern State University announced it was changing its mascot from Redmen to RiverHawks, but about 155 Oklahoma institutions continue to use Indian names, said Louis Gray, coalition president. At one time, about 3,000 U.S. schools used Indian mascots.

That number is now about 900, Gray said.

Banquet tickets are $7 with a donation of a nonperishable food item.

For reservations to the event, call (918) 948-7028.