Michigan schools awarded $484K to address offensive Native American mascots

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The Native American Heritage Fund has made it their mission to promote positive relationships between Michigan’s public and private K-12 schools, colleges, universities, local governments and the state’s 12 federally recognized Native American tribes.

This year, 10 Michigan schools, districts and colleges across the state received more than $480,000 in funds from NAHF to rebrand racially insensitive mascots and improve school curriculum.

They’ve awarded nearly 60 entities since 2018.

“One of the top priorities of the NAHF was to address 15 offensive (high school) mascots in the state,” said Tribal Council Chairwoman Dorie Rios.

The Michigan Board of Education adopted a resolution in 2003 that supports the elimination of Native American descriptors and mascots by all Michigan schools.

The resolution states in part “that their use has a detrimental effect on the educational achievement of American Indian students.”

Rios said many of the offensive mascots were adopted by people who believed they were paying homage to Native Americans.

“How do pay homage if you don’t have that conversation or that relationship with that indigenous community?” Rios said.

In 2013, the Michigan Department of Civil Rights filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, asking it to “issue an order prohibiting the continued use Native American mascots, names, nicknames, slogans, chants and/or imagery.”

In the seven years NAHF has been operating and awarding grants, the organization has been successful in helping rebrand many of the mascots.

“We are proud to say a lot of these initiative came from the student body,” Rios said.


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https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/20 ... scots.html