Score's North could lose honor over racial quip
Visa backlog decried by followers of rules

BY RUMMANA HUSSAIN Staff Reporter
Published December 27, 2006

Dedicating Senn High School's refurbished baseball and softball field to former student Mike North seemed like a no-brainer to some.

After all, the opinionated hot-dog-vendor-turned-sports-radio-host is an advocate for youth-based athletic organizations and once worked on the school's field as a Chicago Park District employee.

But when Asian-American activists raised objections over North's on-air use of the racially charged term "Chinaman," the Local School Council agreed to revisit its recent 5-4 vote in favor of honoring him.

North and WSCR have since offered to do a show on diversity in sports from Senn Field, according to a letter Ald. Mary Ann Smith (48th) wrote to Organization of Chinese Americans of Greater Chicago president Woon-Wah Siu.

LSC members hope to discuss the matter and reach a decision at a meeting at the Edgewater school on Jan. 10, Siu said.

Smith, in her letter to Siu, said North's family initially approached her "about their wish to reconnect with the neighborhood."

"Had I known about his pattern of behavior, I would have said 'no' to the request," Smith wrote.

Claims he didn't know word was bad

North, the morning star of CBS Radio sports/talk WSCR-AM (670), reportedly said, "Who was the 'Chinaman' on the mound the other day?" regarding South Korean-born Cubs pitcher Jae Kuk Ryu.

North said Tuesday he is planning to attend next month's meeting and that he didn't know he made a mistake in using the term. His biggest regret was not taking CBS management's advice to meet with Asian-American groups sooner.

"At the time, I had been saying it for 15 years, to be quite honest with you. Nobody told me it was offensive, so it just went under the radar. And then someone told me it was just as bad as using the N-word. I just want to explain to them [Asian-Americans] I would never do anything like that," said North, who never graduated from Senn.

Siu said an apology would be accepted as long as it is "sincere and genuine" and North does not make light of racial insensitivity, which he has been accused of doing in the past.

----------
rhussain@suntimes.com
http://www.suntimes.com/news/education/187227,CST-NWS-north27.article
Copyright © 2006, Sun Times