GEO Enthusiastically Endorses Adoption of Kingfisher Mascot for UIUC
The Graduate Employees’ Organization IFT/AFT Local 6300, enthusiastically endorses the prompt adoption of the Kingfisher as the new mascot of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The GEO is an organization that works to promote a safe and equitable work environment for all of our members, and standing for workers rights necessarily entails standing against racism and all forms of bigotry. We believe adopting a new mascot will help promote such an environment for our Indigenous peers and community members. The University is long overdue to adopt a mascot that aligns with the principles it professes to value. The continued status of “no mascot” only serves to proliferate “unsanctioned” and de facto usage of the former, racist mascot. Adoption of the Kingfisher signals that such displays are no longer acceptable at the University of Illinois. Furthermore, a new mascot is a small step towards acknowledging the University’s complicity in the many harms against the Indigenous peoples whose land we occupy. It is unacceptable to speak land acknowledgements while continuing to act with disavowal in regards to appropriating and profiting from the racist usage of Indigenous imagery.
The GEO fully supports adopting the Kingfisher, and we urge the University administration and Board of Trustees to take immediate and decisive action to make the Kingfisher mascot a reality on our campus.
The Graduate Employees’ Organization, AFT/IFT Local 6300, AFL-CIO, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, represents approximately 2,700 Teaching and Graduate Assistants on the UIUC Campus. In November 2009 and in February 2018, over 1,000 GEO members and allies participated in a strike to secure a fair contract and more accessible UIUC campus. With an active presence in the community, the GEO continues to work for high-quality and accessible public education in Illinois.
For more information, please contact geo@uigeo.org. More information can also be found on GEO’s website at www.uiucgeo.org.
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