Sports Journalist Kevin Blackistone to Speak at UW-W Feb. 2 Regarding Documentary “Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting” Shown Feb. 1

Posted on: January 27, 2023

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater College of Arts and Communication.

The College of Arts and Communication at UW-Whitewater announces the residency of sports journalist Kevin Blackistone to take place Feb. 1 and 2 with events open to the public. Blackistone is a longtime national sports columnist now at The Washington Post, a panelist on ESPN’s “Around the Horn,” and a contributor to National Public Radio.

Join Kevin Blackistone, co-producer, for a free screening of “Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting” from 7 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 1 in Young Auditorium. After the screening, stay for a Q&A with Mr. Blackistone. This documentary examines the movement that is ending the use of Native American names, logos, and mascots in the world of sports and beyond. The film features numerous activists and cultural commentators providing their perspectives and analyses, including award-winning columnist Suzan Shown Harjo, whose 50-year fight against the exploitation of American Indians in the sports world is used as a lens through which to investigate the history of this issue. Her work as a policy advocate, writer, curator, and human-rights activist against stereotypical Native mascots in sports, earned her a Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama.

Washington Post sports columnist Kevin Blackistone. He is photographed in Washington, DC on November 14, 2017. (Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

From 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 2, Blackistone will draw on his extensive and storied career in sports journalism to shed light on the operations of race and racial identity in sports and the potential of athletes and sports consumers to impact much more than the game. This free lecture titled More than a Game: Racial Identity Politics and Sports is open to the public and will take place in room 275 of the James R. Connor University Center. There will be a Q&A with Blackistone following the lecture.

These events are sponsored by the UW-Whitewater College of Arts and Communication; Department of Communication; Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Support Programs; Intercollegiate Athletics; Native American Cultural Awareness Association; Native American Support Services; and PEACE (Peace, Education, Activism, through Creative Engagement).

Free tickets for the Feb. 1 film screening are available online at tickets.uww.edu or by calling 262-472-2222. No ticket is required for the Feb. 2 lecture. A parking pass is required to park on campus for the Feb. 2 event.

The College of Arts and Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater offers rigorous programs in music, theatre, dance, and the visual arts; internships; pre-professional opportunities in journalism, advertising, and applied communication; and innovative interdisciplinary studies. For more information visit uww.edu/coac.