Opinion: Native American mascots are an us problem, says Iowa parent desmoinesregister.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from desmoinesregister.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Sigourney Community School District in Keokuk County, Iowa has “the Savages” (widely considered a slur) as their district mascot, paired with stereotypical Native American imagery. SCSD
In NFL stadiums and in the high school bleachers of Colorado, Michigan, Maine, Florida, Washington, and every state in between, we have witnessed an evolution in mainstream views on the use of Native American mascots, nicknames and imagery. Our Iowa school districts and communities have an opportunity to be on the forefront of this movement and should likewise evolve beyond the use of Native mascots.
The use of Native symbols and likenesses is inarguably degrading and hurtful to Native people, who are forced to see themselves reduced to mere caricatures and forced to see their cultures co-opted for purposes divorced from Native self-determination. For nearly 30 years, mental health professionals have noted that the use of Native mascots is measurably detrimental to Native people. For