Post by Moon Seeker on Aug 6, 2009 19:33:26 GMT -5
Duluth T-shirt merchant apologizes to American Indians
Donna Blue Bird of Duluth said she was pleased today after the owner of a Canal Park store wrote a formal apology for selling T-shirts that Blue Bird and other American Indians found offensive.
By: Sarah Horner, Duluth News Tribune
One day after angrily calling out a retail shop in Canal Park for its sale of racially offensive T-shirts, Donna Blue Bird was shaking hands with the store’s owner.
The exchange occurred after owner Simon Shaked agreed to sit down with Blue Bird, a 51-year-old American Indian, in front of his store “I Love Duluth” Thursday afternoon and write a formal apology to American Indians.
Shaked’s store had been selling T-shirts offensive to American Indians until Wednesday, when the last one was purchased. One of them said: “My Indian name is ‘Drinks Like Fish’; the other said: “My Indian name is ‘Crawling Drunk.’ ”
Shaked agreed last week to stop carrying the shirts after his shop was visited by Duluth Human Rights Officer Bob Grytdahl, but only after the last had been sold off the clearance rack. Blue Bird bought two of the shirts Wednesday from a rack outside the store Wednesday afternoon.
About 10 American Indians, including four from Blue Bird’s family, gathered outside his store today to demand Shaked issue an apology to American Indian people. Around 12:30 p.m. he did.
“It was the right thing to do,” Shaked said about his decision to write the apology. “I don’t want to offend anyone.”
Blue Bird helped Shaked write the statement, which included the phrase, “I am apologizing to the Native American people for their concerns.”
Blue Bird said she was pleased with Shaked’s willingness to remedy the situation, but she said her battle to stop discrimination of American Indians will continue.
“I am happy [Shaked] was a big enough person to apologize,” she said. “This conversation needs to continue, though; we are not to the bottom of it yet.”
www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/127170/
Donna Blue Bird of Duluth said she was pleased today after the owner of a Canal Park store wrote a formal apology for selling T-shirts that Blue Bird and other American Indians found offensive.
By: Sarah Horner, Duluth News Tribune
One day after angrily calling out a retail shop in Canal Park for its sale of racially offensive T-shirts, Donna Blue Bird was shaking hands with the store’s owner.
The exchange occurred after owner Simon Shaked agreed to sit down with Blue Bird, a 51-year-old American Indian, in front of his store “I Love Duluth” Thursday afternoon and write a formal apology to American Indians.
Shaked’s store had been selling T-shirts offensive to American Indians until Wednesday, when the last one was purchased. One of them said: “My Indian name is ‘Drinks Like Fish’; the other said: “My Indian name is ‘Crawling Drunk.’ ”
Shaked agreed last week to stop carrying the shirts after his shop was visited by Duluth Human Rights Officer Bob Grytdahl, but only after the last had been sold off the clearance rack. Blue Bird bought two of the shirts Wednesday from a rack outside the store Wednesday afternoon.
About 10 American Indians, including four from Blue Bird’s family, gathered outside his store today to demand Shaked issue an apology to American Indian people. Around 12:30 p.m. he did.
“It was the right thing to do,” Shaked said about his decision to write the apology. “I don’t want to offend anyone.”
Blue Bird helped Shaked write the statement, which included the phrase, “I am apologizing to the Native American people for their concerns.”
Blue Bird said she was pleased with Shaked’s willingness to remedy the situation, but she said her battle to stop discrimination of American Indians will continue.
“I am happy [Shaked] was a big enough person to apologize,” she said. “This conversation needs to continue, though; we are not to the bottom of it yet.”
www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/127170/