The Daily Show - Wrestling with History in Whitesboro, NY
The Daily Show's Jessica Williams has made her mark on history: Last night, Williams said that Whitesboro, New York, is working to change its controversial "racist" seal after weeks of public pressure, including from The Daily Show.
Here is the seal, which appears to depict a white man choking a Native American:
Whitesboro's residents say the seal depicts Hugh White, the town's founder, and an Oneida Indian in a friendly wrestling match. But the symbol has drawn
criticism from around the country for looking like a white man choking a Native American.
Williams and The Daily Show apparently got involved in the controversy last week, when they proposed alternatives to the seal that the town voted on. The meeting over the unofficial vote had some pretty awkward moments — including a man calling Williams, a black woman, "a negro."
But the town ultimately voted not to change the seal.
"This is blowing up my brain right now. Do you guys just hate American Indians?" Williams asked the town's mayor, who argued that the town is merely preserving its history. "But if there are millions of people outside of the town telling you that the seal is racist, wouldn't it do you a service to listen to them?"
All of that apparently changed on Thursday morning, when Whitesboro Mayor Patrick O'Connor told Williams that Hugh White's descendants, town officials, and the Oneida Indians are meeting to work on a seal that will make everyone happy. Public pressure, including from The Daily Show, was apparently too much.
Time Warner Cable News
reported that the town really is working to change its seal.
In a celebration after the segment, Williams exclaimed, "We did it!" Host Trevor Noah agreed, saying, "We solved racism!"
/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/5925209/whitesboro%20seal.jpg)
Whitesboro's residents say the seal depicts Hugh White, the town's founder, and an Oneida Indian in a friendly wrestling match. But the symbol has drawn criticism from around the country for looking like a white man choking a Native American.
Williams and The Daily Show apparently got involved in the controversy last week, when they proposed alternatives to the seal that the town voted on. The meeting over the unofficial vote had some pretty awkward moments — including a man calling Williams, a black woman, "a negro."
But the town ultimately voted not to change the seal.
"This is blowing up my brain right now. Do you guys just hate American Indians?" Williams asked the town's mayor, who argued that the town is merely preserving its history. "But if there are millions of people outside of the town telling you that the seal is racist, wouldn't it do you a service to listen to them?"
All of that apparently changed on Thursday morning, when Whitesboro Mayor Patrick O'Connor told Williams that Hugh White's descendants, town officials, and the Oneida Indians are meeting to work on a seal that will make everyone happy. Public pressure, including from The Daily Show, was apparently too much.
Time Warner Cable News reported that the town really is working to change its seal.
In a celebration after the segment, Williams exclaimed, "We did it!" Host Trevor Noah agreed, saying, "We solved racism!"
No comments:
Post a Comment