Cleveland AIM protest

Our longtime friend and ally, Bob Roche, recently organized a protest against the Cleveland Indians.

Obies Protest Team Mascot

By Séla Steiger

“If this is racism, I like racism.” This phrase, among others, was shouted at protesters last Friday as they demonstrated in Cleveland against the allegedly racist name and mascot of Ohio’s major league baseball team — the Cleveland Indians and Chief Wahoo, respectively. Over twenty Oberlin students carpooled to participate in this event, intentionally held on opening day at Jacobs Field stadium.

“There was a really clear divide between the people who hold predominant power and ‘the others,’” said College senior Aaron Englander of the day’s events. “I really saw that [a large percentage of the fans] really couldn’t grasp that ‘Indians’ is offensive or that racism even exists”.

The stadium is juxtaposed with an intersection, located about a block away from its entrance. The protesters stood in a grassy section adjacent to the sidewalk, stationing themselves so that passersby could not avoid the demonstration on their way into the game. full article

Please pay a visit to the Cleveland AIM website to learn more about the issue and to view their extensive AIM history documentation project. Cleveland AIM website