WAUPUN mayor wants to add “End of the Trail” sculpture to city’s logo that represents the forced removal of Indigenous people.

WAUPUN (6/21/2022 Green Bay Press Bay Press-Gazette) – The End of the Trail sculpture in Waupun depicts a weary, historic Indigenous person on a weary horse and some locals are questioning the city’s mayor’s desire to market the statue on the city’s logo. view full article here…

“Many tourists take pictures with it,” said Waupun Mayor Rohn Bishop. “It’s here in Waupun and we should be proud of it. The statue is not racist. The statue is a tribute to what Native Americans went through.

“Firstly, it’s nice that the town has this beautiful piece of art,” said Renee Gralewicz, a citizen of Brothertown Indian Nation and peacemaker for the tribe’s judicial system, but who spoke as an individual and not on behalf of the tribe. “The problem is, what have they done lately for Indigenous America? It seems that in the U.S., Indigenous peoples are always placed in historical context, as if we are no longer here and no longer matter.”

So, if the town of Waupun only likes historical images, then the statue has little meaning to me and my relatives,” Gralewicz said. “It only allows the town to feel good about itself without doing anything to aid and honor the living. However, if the town is actually working to educate their citizens about real U.S. history and all its messiness, then the statue can be a good talking point.”

Reached for comment;