Earlier this month, the upstate town of Whitesboro became the focus of a lot of national attention when the village voted on whether or not to keep its controversial seal, which depicts a white man apparently strangling a Native American man (or a "friendly wrestling match," depending on how you look at it!). The residents voted 157-55 to keep the seal—but today, Whitesboro announced that they would reverse that vote and change it. And it turns out that Jessica Williams and The Daily Show have a lot to do with it, as you'll see in the clip below.
As was revealed during last night's show, the reason the town even voted on the seal this month—which prompted the recent controversy online—was Williams's investigation into it. Even after the vote failed, Williams tried to reason with Mayor Patrick O’Connor: "If there are millions of people outside of the town telling you that the seal is racist, wouldn't it do you a service to listen to them?"
And as she announced on air, he finally agreed with her. "In speaking with a lot of the residents that voted to keep the seal, I think they were surprised at the negative attention that Whitesboro was receiving as a result of the vote," O’Connor said in a statement. "They wanted to preserve history at the time of the vote, but also want to ensure that Village is seen as the inclusive place that it is."
Native American activists said they were pleased with the decision. "As we’ve always said, we are happy to work with anyone who wants to make sure the symbols they are promoting are honoring and respecting all people," Ray Halbritter, Oneida Indian Nation representative and chief executive officer, said in a statement. "We applaud the Village leaders’ willingness to evaluate their own symbols and how to make sure they accurately reflect their community’s core values."
Now all they have to do is figure out some sort of way to come up with a new image that embiggens even the smallest man. The road ahead may be filled with obstacles—but hopefully no obstacles that obstruct air passages!
