RESOLUTION ON CLEVELAND'S PROFESSIONAL
BASEBALL TEAM
WHEREAS, the
Commission on Catholic Community Action (CCCA), from its grounding in Catholic
social teaching which emphasizes the God-given dignity of every human
person, recognizes the importance of respecting the cultures and sacred
symbols of all peoples;
WHEREAS, the CCCA
has over the years consistently opposed stereotypes, policies and
practices that demean and degrade people, that continue injustices and
that detract from healthy multicultural diversity;
WHEREAS, members
of the Native American community in Northeast Ohio find the Chief Wahoo
logo for the Cleveland's Professional Baseball Team offensive to their
religious and cultural heritages and also express concern and dismay
over the continued use of the name "Indians.";
WHEREAS, the 1988
Vatican document The Church and Racism (issued by the Pontifical
Commission "Justitia Et Pax') states that acts "which lead to
contempt and to the phenomena of exclusion must be denounced and brought
to light without hesitation and strongly rejected in order to promote
equitable behavior" [par.26};
WHEREAS, the 1984
Pastoral Letter What We Have Seen and Heard issued by the Black
Bishops of the United States says that "Without justice any
meaningful reconciliation is impossible. Justice safeguards the
rights and delineates the responsibility of all. A people must
safeguard their own cultural identity and their own cultural
values. Likewise they must respect the cultural values of
others. For this reason sincere reconciliation builds on mutual
recognition and mutual respect." [pp.6-7];
WHEREAS, the 1979
Pastoral Letter of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops Brothers
and Sisters To Us affirms that "As individuals we should try to
influence the attitudes of others by expressly rejecting racial
stereotypes, racial slurs and racial jokes. We should influence
the members of our families, especially our children, to be sensitive to
the authentic human values and cultural contributions of each racial
grouping in our country." [p.10];
AND WHEREAS, in
this year of 1993 proclaimed by the United Nations as the Year of
Indigenous People we should strive even more to show a real sensitivity
to the needs, concerns and problems of Native Americans;
THEREFORE BE IT
RESOLVED that the Commission on Catholic Community Action urges
Cleveland's Professional Baseball Team to discontinue the Chief Wahoo
logo and FURTHER urges the Team to re-open the dialogue regarding its
use of the name "Indians" as matters of justice and
sensitivity to Native Americans and to our overall community.
Adopted August 17, 1993 by the CCCA Board