Is the bell tolling for Native American mascots? – By John Wisely (Detroit Free Press) / June 22 2020
More than 50 alumni of Huron High School in Southern Wayne County are asking the district to quit using a Native American team mascot and the imagery that goes with it.
“In the wake of community organizing and demonstrating around the state, country and world in response to the death of George Floyd and the recognition of ongoing systemic racism, this letter serves to denounce the use of Native American stereotypes and imagery in all Huron School District capacities,” the alumni wrote to superintendent Donovan Rowe last week.
Some of the former students plan to attend the school board meeting Monday to press for the change. Organizers of the effort say they don’t want to detract from the Black Lives Matter movement, but rather to highlight another injustice that must be addressed.
It’s a topic being discussed in other places as well, said Melissa Kiesewetter, tribal liaison at the Michigan Department of Civil Rights.
“George Floyd’s murder and the ensuing protests have caused us to look at things some of us take for granted and consider how they impact everyone in a community,” Kiesewetter said. “There is renewed interest in removing mascots the same way there is in removing statues of racist generals and explorers. It is long-overdue recognition that the use of these images tells a story about who and what we value or devalue.”
Continue to article: https://www.freep.com/story/news/education/2020/06/22/bell-tolling-native-american-mascots/3213847001/
