New York tells schools to ditch ‘racist’ Native American mascots or risk state funding

The Bobster

Senior News Editor since 2004

New York tells schools to ditch ‘racist’ Native American mascots or risk state funding​



By
Zach Williams


November 18, 2022 2:54pm
Updated











New York’s Education Department is telling high schools to dump their Native American mascots by the end of the school year – or risk losing state funding in 2023.
The move follows a June 2022 ruling against the upstate Cambridge Central School District, which sought to hold onto its “Indians” identity, despite decades of advocacy by indigenous groups saying such monikers disrespect native people.
“Public school districts are prohibited from utilizing Native American mascots. Arguments that community members support the use of such imagery or that it is ‘respectful’ to Native Americans are no longer tenable,” reads a Nov. 17 letter from the State Education Department to local districts.
School districts who refuse to adopt less offensive athletic avatars could face “the removal of school officers and the withholding of State Aid,” the letter adds while acknowledging that Cambridge is now turning over a new leaf on the matter.
NYS Education Department building in Albany, NY.New York’s Education Department is telling high schools to remove their Native American mascots by the end of the school year.Getty Images/iStockphoto A picture of Native American advocate Carl Moore sitting next to Native American imagery painted along a walkway at a NY high school.School districts who refuse to adopt less offensive athletic mascots could face “the removal of school officers and the withholding of State Aid,” a letter from the State Education Department said. AP
At least 133 schools in 55 districts had native-themed mascots as of March 2022, according to a report by the National Congress of American Indians, which noted that schools from Suffolk County to Western New York had given them up in recent years.




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The State Education Department believes about 50 to 60 schools still have such mascots with a spokesman for the New York City Department of Education confirming there are none within the five boroughs.


New York City began stripping controversial names like “Indians” and “Chiefs” from local high schools at the turn of the century following a push by the State Education Department.




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Native American imagery is painted along a walkway at Bountiful High School.
This move follows a June 2022 ruling against the upstate Cambridge Central School District, which sought to hold onto its "Indians" identity. AP

Banks High School Tribal Mascot Braves sign.
State lawmakers have also introduced legislation in recent years to prod schools outside the city. AP



State lawmakers have also introduced legislation in recent years to prod schools outside the city.


The battle over indigenous representations in sports has also affected pro sports, with baseball’s Cleveland Guardians and the NFL’s Washington Commanders ditching their controversial Native American names.


Native American groups say such representations of their diverse cultures do much more harm than good no matter the civic pride and local history they purportedly represent to their defenders.


The Tribal Nations of New York have consistently conveyed their opposition to stereotypical portrayals as public school sports mascots. It is our hope that sincere efforts to infuse holistic, tribally-informed curriculum which teaches an accurate history and the contemporary realities of the diverse Tribal Nations of New York will follow,” the NCAI said in a statement.




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Protestors were seen protesting the use of the Chief Wahoo mascot by the Cleveland Indians Major League Baseball team.
Protestors were seen protesting the use of the Chief Wahoo mascot by the Cleveland Indians Major League Baseball team. Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty

At least 133 schools in 55 districts had native-themed mascots as of March 2022, according to a report by the National Congress of American Indians.
At least 133 schools in 55 districts had native-themed mascots as of March 2022, according to a report by the National Congress of American Indians. Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty



“Widely consumed images of Native American stereotypes in commercial and educational environments slander, defame, and vilify Native peoples, Native cultures, and tribal nations, and continue a legacy of racist and prejudiced attitudes,” reads a 2013 NCAI report.



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“In particular, the ‘savage’ and ‘clownish’ caricatures used by sports teams with ‘Indian’ mascots contribute to the “savage” image of Native peoples and the myth that Native peoples are an ethnic group ‘frozen in history,” the report added.
 
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