YThen/YNow: The Case of Chief Illiniwek

Since 1873, the University YMCA has committed itself towards bettering human relations and protecting our planet. Over time, with Y student leaders taking lead, we have furthered our conversations in the pursuit of social justice.

 Y THEN

Pictured at the podium in Latzer Hall of the University YMCA, UIUC student activists Charlene Teters and Michael Haney lead the Anti-Chief Illiniwek movement, which launched in 1991. Their message is clear: Native Americans are not mascots. Native Americans are human beings.

Y NOW

On April 17, 2015, Angela Walden gives a talk at the University YMCA’s Murphy Gallery on “Mascots, Cultural Appropriation, and Indigenous Peoples: The Case of Chief Illiniwek.” This Art @ the Y sponsored event took place in conjunction with the exhibition "IndiVisible: African-Native Lives in the Americas."