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Wetness Witness at the Cleveland Indians Stadium "Walking in the rain with the ones I love..." |
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Wetness Witness at the Cleveland Indians Stadium "Walking in the rain with the ones I love..." |
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Back to the Opening Ceremony and Plenary I
"We are not mascots, we are not fetishes to be worn - we are human beings!" With this exhortation by Dr. Charlene Teters of the National Coalition on Racism in Sports and the Media, more than 1,000 energized Unitarian Universalists headed out into the rain to protest the Cleveland Indians' Chief Wahoo mascot. At the culmination of the Opening Plenary of the 40th General Assembly, the Rev. John Buehrens, Denny Davidoff, the Rev. John Thomas (president of the United Church of Christ), and local Native American activists led thousands of UUs from the Cleveland Convention Center out into the streets, following a path set in consultation with the Cleveland police.
The silent march started in a light rain, but the skies opened and the lightning flashed as the crowd passed by Jacobs Field during a baseball game between the Cleveland Indians and the Minnesota Twins. Even the rare umbrellas along the line of marchers were powerless against the deluge as the lead marchers rounded the stadium. UU spirits remained high even as clothes became sodden and paper signs disintegrated. "I haven't had that much fun since Chicago in 1968," said a very wet Ron Cordes of First Parish Church in Bedford, MA.
The marchers were generally quiet despite the rain, speaking softly among themselves or singing the hymn "One More Step." As the marchers came upon souvenir stores featuring sweatshirts and banners emblazoned with Chief Wahoo, several marchers spontaneously shifted to chants of "People, not Mascots," shifting back to the hymn when the store was behind them. "It was a powerful experience that people stayed together despite the adversity of the weather," said Rev. John Gibbons, minister of First Parish Church in Bedford, MA. "I was particularly moved that one fan leaving the ballpark stepped in to hear what we were singing," he added.
Although the game was not yet over, the rain sent many fans into the street and right in the line of the march. "It was wonderful," said Katie Horowitz, who just graduated from high school and was youth group president at First Church in Pittsburgh, PA. "When you're protesting there's not usually a body of people coming against you. But we had people who are pro Chief Wahoo in front of us." Youth delegate Megan Dugan of All Souls Unitarian in Tulsa, OK, agreed: "My feet were hurting, but I didn't care. It was an exhilarating experience. I felt like I was doing something good."
Sarah Hathaway, youth delegate from the UU Church of Kent in Kent, OH, said, "It was awesome. It showed how strong we are. Even though the weather was terrible, we kept at it. GA rocks."
"I am always excited to join other UUs in putting our faith into action. We have a voice that ought to be heard, and we should use it more often. That's what GA is all about. We have this vague understanding about a social issue, but when someone brings this issue to life it has real impact," said Cathy Cordesof First Parish Church in Bedford, MA. "Here was a speaker, Charlene Teters, who inspired us to action. We got up and did something. Our walking in the rain may have seemed like a silly gesture to the people in Cleveland, but it made this issue real to me. And my backpack is soaking wet."
The Rev. John Gibbons, minister of First Parish Church in Bedford, MA, said, "Unitarian Universalism helps transform those vague impulses to do good into action. A lot of us had a cursory understanding of this issue. But hearing Charlene Teters made it more personal and more profound. And it connected with more issues than I had understood before. And I was proud that we followed the lead of Native American leaders and the United Church of Christ."
Although the rain was unexpected and the heavy downpour halfway through the march caused some confusion along the route, many of the marchers saw a silver lining: "It was a lot of fun because we weren't expecting it," said Lindsey Lee, a youth delegate from UU Church of the South Hills in Pittsburgh, PA. "If it had been sunny, it wouldn't have been such a big deal. It's important to see that others didn't turn back."
2001 UUA General Assembly Vigil
Protesting the Misappropriation of Native American Terms and Images by the Cleveland Baseball Team
Post Opening Ceremony - Anti-Racism Vigil
Planning the Vigil: An Interview with John Millspaugh, Assistant for Public Witness to UUA President John BuehrensReported for the Web by Fred Garcia; Photos by Holly Hendricks, and Deb Weiner
General Assembly 2001 · Program Grid
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