The issue of Chief Illiniwek has proven to be alive and well during the University’s week remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

La Casa Cultural Latina held an event Thursday that re-opened discussion of a controversy that is unofficially still very present on campus.

“The Chief still has a presence on campus that students must face every day,” said Adele Lozano, director of La Casa Cultural Latina and assistant dean of students. “Martin Luther King Jr. fought for social justice within many racial and socioeconomic groups, which many people do not realize. Events such as these celebrate his dream.”

The Chief was officially retired as the symbol of the University in February 2007 amid debate of whether it portrayed racial stereotypes. Chief supporters continue to assert that the Chief is an honored tradition rather than a divisive performer.

After University journalism professor Jay Rosenstein’s documentary “In Whose Honor?” was shown at Thursday’s event, students were given the opportunity to discuss their opinions of Chief Illiniwek.

“This gives students the opportunity to make an intelligent and thoughtful decision about what their view on Chief Illiniwek is,” Lozano said. “It’s hard to form an opinion with few forums with which to access information,” said Lozano.

To many students, events like these are the only open means of discussing this heated issue, Lozano said.

“Many people do not realize that the Chief controversy is still an issue because not everyone understands why it’s wrong,” said Krystina Briones, sophomore in LAS. “People tend to be set in the views and are not willing to listen to the other side.”

In November 2008, the Students for Chief Illiniwek, a Registered Student Organization, hosted the unofficial return of the Chief for the first time since its retirement.

“While the University of Illinois officially retired the Chief as a symbol of the University in February of 2007, it can never retire the values for which it stands,” Roberto Martell, president of the RSO, said immediately following the November Chief event.

Anna Sierra-Nowell, junior in LAS, said she believes that the University is far from achieving King’s “Dream”.

“We haven’t achieved ‘The Dream’ yet,” Sierra-Nowell said. “Racism today is not overt as it used to be; it’s hidden, systematic, and standardized. Issues like the Chief Illiniwek controversy prevent people from talking about the real issues, and the University is just a small bubble in what’s happening nationwide.”