No more Shawnee Mission North Indians: District to drop all Native American mascots
Shawnee Mission North High School and three district elementary schools must retire their “Indians” and “Braves” mascots under a new policy after thousands petitioned for the change.
The Shawnee Mission school board voted unanimously Monday to approve removing the mascots. The new policy states that school mascots must be culturally and racially appropriate, and that they may not be derogatory or offensive toward a person or class of people protected under the district’s nondiscrimination policy.
North, which has had “Indians” as its mascot for almost a century, as well as Belinder, Shawanoe and Rushton elementary schools, will begin the process of finding new mascots.
“It feels historic to me, and it feels like a positive decision that I think is going to be reflected in the future of this district,” board member Laura Guy said.
Proponents also demand that the district add new curriculum, so that history and literature taught in its schools better reflect Native Americans’ experiences.
After years of little action, thousands of residents began protesting for the district to change the Native American mascots that many deem racist and degrading. More than 4,600 people have signed a Change.org petition urging the district to remove the Shawnee Mission North mascot by the school’s 100th anniversary in 2022.
Last month, Ben Barnes, chief of the Shawnee Tribe, urged the school board to take immediate action.
“People are not mascots. We do not accept this,” he said. “You do not honor us by putting this on your jackets. You do not honor us by putting us on your diplomas. We are not caricatures. We are real people, with cultures, religions and opinions.”
Across the nation, organizations and schools are removing Native American mascots as the country comes to terms with how it has glamorized its history of colonization and mistreatment of Indigenous people.
In Major League Baseball, the Cleveland Indians stopped using their grinning Chief Wahoo logo last year. In the National Football League, Washington’s team in June dropped its “Redskins” moniker. That left the Kansas City Chiefs as the only NFL team whose name evokes Native American imagery.
Research has shown that the use of Indian mascots can increase suicidal thoughts and depression among Indigenous people. One study — conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, University of Arizona and Stanford University — found that when Native American teens are exposed to such mascots, it decreases their community worth and self-esteem.
But many have opposed the change in Shawnee Mission. Another 3,000 people have signed a Change.org petition arguing that the North mascot should stay, saying that its part of a tradition that they see no harm in honoring.
In recent years, Shawnee Mission North stopped its practice of the Indian chief mascot wearing a headdress, and the girl playing a Native American princess kneeling before him in pre-game ceremonies. Other schools have made changes, too. At Belinder Elementary, the PTA stopped using Native American imagery in spirit wear and other merchandise.
And last November, Nieman Elementary students voted to change their mascot from the Indians to the Foxes. But the school board’s policy change sets the stage for a broader conversation about how the district as a whole wants to be represented in the future.
Superintendent Mike Fulton said he will work with principals at the four schools to set up a process for choosing new mascots. He hopes to have replacements identified by the end of this school year, but it is unclear how long implementation will take.
Changing any mascot could be costly, requiring new signs, uniforms and branding. Fulton said the district will have to determine the cost to make physical changes at each school.
“It’s something we could do fairly quickly, but actually budgeting it, getting the work done, I think you’re talking about a process that could be a year or more in implementation realistically,” Fulton said at last month’s meeting.
This story was originally published January 26, 2021 at 2:11 PM.
