I was wondering how long this would take?
Erich Longie has penned this letter to the editor in today's Grand Forks Herald. Thoughts?
Some people are getting irate about the Herald's constant coverage of the ongoing non-controversy. Not me. Each story is a reminder of a hard-fought victory over a deeply embedded racist tradition. I will never get tired of hearing or reading about it. Sort of like my Lakota relatives who every year celebrate their victory over Custer at Greasy Grass, 150 years ago.
In closing, what this really comes down to is this: a few hardcore and racist Fighting Sioux nickname fans just can't stand to let American Indians "win one."
In their eyes, we committed an unpardonable sin by not only standing up to their racism but also winning. And they can't let that go, any more then can they let their racism go.
When I first came to Grand Forks in the fall of 1993, the controversy surrounding the Fighting Sioux nickname was coming to a head. I heard many of the same points that have been brought up in Longie's victory lap. Each has his own opinion. It's a bit over the top to call the #foreversioux and #siouxforever camps racist. So, are the Sioux were Silenced people racists, too? Many of those folks are Dakota.
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