Anatomy of a Protest
by Richie Plass

In Indian Country, history has shown protests to be in relation to land issues, spirituality, poverty, education and social issues. Again, images may pop up with the take-over at Wounded Knee or even the take-over of government buildings in Washington, D.C. Plus, there have been times when AIM (the American Indian Movement) are looked at as being part of many protests in Indian Country. But this is not always so.

In October of 2007, educators, activists, teachers, students and community members planned a protest in relation to the professional football team, the "Washington Redskins." But his was to be a peaceful and educational based protest on the name and use of Native imagery.

The game was to be played on Sunday, October 14, but the planners decided to have a conference on the preceding Saturday. At the conference were various speakers from Wisconsin addressing the mascot/logo issue. The Key Note speaker was Stephanie Fryberg from the University of Arizona whose study on the use of names and imagery relating to Native American affect both Native and non-Native students. There were other speakers and displays on-site, but it also included the one act, one woman play, "Kick," which was written from the actual circumstances of a young Native lady"s story relating to her life during her high school days.

On the preceding Friday, the organizers held a community pot-luck and people were invited to paint and assemble signs to be used at Sunday"s protest. The turn out was great and over 30 signs were assembled.

Lastly, on the day of the protest, I walked among the protesters, fans and the general public and asked various people if I could interview them. I introduced myself, told them I was with the protesters and I wanted to talk to people and get their opinions on the name, "Redskins,", our protest and any other thoughts they may have had. I have since made and audio CD of these interviews and the material on this recording is impressive. Impressive because this is, "raw" data, straight from the people"s mouths, unedited and true.

In conclusion, peaceful protests can be positive and productive. Planning, involvement and dedication all make an impact on the process. I believe the following format may be a good approach when planning such an event:

1. Identify the need and goal
2. Organize a main body of people for the planning
3. Ensure a location, date and times and communicate all planning information
4. In the planning process, time management is key, but flexibility must be part of the actual event
5. Whenever possible, teachers and students should have opportunity to work side by side in the total process
6. Documentation of all kinds should be used during the complete event. This should include written, photos, film (if possible) and audio. These are invaluable for future use and reference.
7. Follow-up should include a meeting and/or communication should occur among the organizers and participants.

Richie Plass
2542 He-Nis-Ra Ln.
Green Bay, WI. 54303
920-569-6431
e-mail: richieplass@yahoo.com
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