Julia and the Caricature
DURANGO, Colo. — Julia Miller, a fifth grade student who was assigned a student project to collect data about a social issue, ended up having her work published in the Durango Herald, and is shedding light on racism.
The sign Julia focused her laser-like attention on is a two-story, stereotypical caricature of an American Indian man with exaggerated white teeth and a black cowboy vest. The structure, known as "The Chief," is owned by the Toh-Atin Gallery located in downtown Durango, and has been the subject of enormous local controversy.
The gallery maintained that the sign is a Durango historical piece and underscored its commitment to helping Native American artists. But the sign continues to be an ongoing controversial issue for Native Americans living in the community because of its outdated misrepresentation of Native American identity.
In Colorado, a bill is moving through the legislature that would ban American Indian-themed mascots from display at all public schools. The law would carry a fine of $25,000 for every month that an Indian mascot is kept on school grounds.
Ten-year-old Miller's interest in the Durango mascot stems from the Black Lives Matter national protest movement that continues to grow in the United States.
A few months after George Floyd was murdered by a now-former police officer, Miller focused her survey on the Toh-Atin Gallery sign. What she learned is that more than half of the people who responded to her survey found “The Chief” offensive and favored its removal.
Miller's data strongly convinced her to take action, so she wrote a letter to the Durango Herald's editor to inform the town about her results. A non-Native 10-year-old could see so clearly what offends the people of our Native community every day.
For me, as a Navajo Nation tribal member, I have watched other tribal members like Amanda Blackhorse protest against the Washington, DC NFL team’s trademark and usage of the word “R*dsk*ns.” These protests ultimately resulted in the team dropping the offensive name in July 2020.
Meanwhile, it inspires me to see the dignity of a child taking on a heavy issue in Durango where we both live. Miller gives me—as a Native American—hope in the future because she collected the data to prove children are concerned and passionate about what goes on in their communities and are empathetic to Native Americans.