By Matthew Scheidel
The Grand Rapids Community College Native American Student Organization hosted the “More Than a Word,” screening and panel discussion at the Applied Technology Center auditorium on Thursday night.
Approximately 50 people gathered at the ATC auditorium to watch “More Than a Word,” a documentary about the Washington Redskins and the controversy surrounding their team name and logo. This was followed by a panel discussion about the impact of using Native Americans’ likenesses and tribe names as team logos, as well as other issues.
NASO President Drewyn Talley was pleased with the event, especially with the turnout.
“It is my understanding that there are sometimes all of five people in this auditorium,” Talley said. “So I’m really happy, especially with the panelists. I thought they did an awesome job, and I think we got the right people here to have this discussion.”
The panelists included Community/Cultural Consultant for the Michigan Department of Education Lynn LaPointe, GRCC Anthropology Professor Dillon Carr, Grand Valley State University Native American Council member Belinda Bardwell and GRCC Instructor and Counselor Andre Fields.
