'Fightin' Whites' Raise $100,000 For Scholarships
Scholarships To Be Provided To American Indian Students
POSTED: 11:02 a.m. MST December 2, 2002
UPDATED: 2:33 p.m. MST December 2, 2002
DENVER -- It started out as an attempt to shame a local high school into dropping a mascot name viewed as racist. Now it's raised at least $100,000 for scholarships for American Indian college students.
The effort began last winter when a group of American Indian students at the University of Northern Colorado asked officials at nearby Eaton High School to change the school's mascot from "Fighting Reds" because the name was offensive.
When the school refused, members of UNC's intramural basketball team, made up of American Indians and whites, decided to get even.
They named themselves the "Fightin' Whites" and began wearing T-shirts bearing the name.
The T-shirts have a 1950s-style caricature of a middle-age white man with the slogan, "Every thang's gonna be all white."
The team added the phrase, "Fighting the use of Native American stereotypes," to the shirts that were being sold online to keep white supremacists from using them.
After getting national media attention, the group began selling the shirts and other items with the mascot. More than 15,000 shirts and hats have been sold.
The effort began last winter when a group of American Indian students at the University of Northern Colorado asked officials at nearby Eaton High School to change the school's mascot from "Fighting Reds" because the name was offensive.
When the school refused, members of UNC's intramural basketball team, made up of American Indians and whites, decided to get even.
They named themselves the "Fightin' Whites" and began wearing T-shirts bearing the name.
The T-shirts have a 1950s-style caricature of a middle-age white man with the slogan, "Every thang's gonna be all white."
The team added the phrase, "Fighting the use of Native American stereotypes," to the shirts that were being sold online to keep white supremacists from using them.
After getting national media attention, the group began selling the shirts and other items with the mascot. More than 15,000 shirts and hats have been sold.
Previous Stories:
- March 29, 2002: Fightin' Whites Game Crowded
- March 20, 2002: 'Fightin' Whites' Hire T-Shirt Company
- March 13, 2002:
'Fighting Whities' or 'Whites' Name Chosen By UNC Team
Copyright 2002 by TheDenverChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
