March 7 Mascot Workshop For The Electoral College Of School Boards -- Who Will Recuse?

Alleged fake Native American Mark "OneWolf" Yancey with school board member Jennifer Poirier following the Native American Guardian Association (NAGA) meeting with Skowhegan "Indian Pride" (SIP) group February 24, 2019 (photo from the SIP Facebook group)

There are several members of the school board with the last high school Native mascot in Maine who should be recusing themselves from any vote held this Thursday, March 7 at their 7pm meeting.

Top of the list is Jennifer Poirier who organizes the group Skowhegan "Indian Pride" and who convened the recent meeting with NAGA at the local bowling alley. A February screenshot from her Facebook group is evidence of her bias and why she should recuse herself according to board policy:

Apologies for the use of the R****** slur in this screenshot.

Todd Smith and Karen Smith are married and derive income from selling "Indians" sports gear at his local business, Maine Fire Equipment. They, too, should recuse themselves from a vote due to their pecuniary interest in the outcome, as noted in the guidelines provided to school boards by their law firm Drummond Woodsum.

From Todd Smith's Maine Fire Equipment website

Harold Bigelow should recuse himself because he, too, has indicated bias, and voting on the mascot would violate board policy. From the Waterville Morning Sentinel article of May 4, 2015, "SAD 54 residents argue over keeping Indian mascot for school teams":

Harold Bigelow, of Skowhegan, told the assembly of more than 60 people that there are Native Americans “who side with us” in support of keeping Skowhegan the Indians.  

“The natives today are being compensated for their past with entitlements and free education,” Bigelow said. “I personally feel they ought to focus on their own problems within, rather than creating problems for others. It is definitely not racist. Do what is right — this is our history, not theirs.”

Lynda Quinn should probably recuse herself, too, as she has been vocal in the past about her adherence to the current mascot. From the Portland Press Herald article November 12, 2017, "Mascot still in play at schools in Skowhegan":

As for the teams’ nickname, is there a chance for another vote? 

“From my perspective, no, I don’t think so – I think that was put to rest,” Quinn said. “My question is I don’t know what’s wrong with the name ‘Indian.’ It’s not making fun of anyone. It’s not disrespectful. I just don’t understand why they’re so opposed to the name ‘Indian.’ ”

Note to Ms. Quinn: why are Maine's four tribes all opposed to the name? Possibly because of tweets like this:

We’re on the warpath now! #Skowhegan #IndianPride #mepolitics https://t.co/p1irfJu56t

— Skowhegan GOP (@SkowheganGOP) March 2, 2019

And from the Lewiston Sun Journal article June 17, 2018, "Skowhegan last Maine school to retain Native American Mascot":

There are 11 members left on the 23-member SAD 54 school board that voted 11-9 to keep the Indians nickname in May 2015. Of those 11 members, eight of them voted to keep the name. In district elections held on Tuesday, four incumbent school board members were re-elected, unopposed on the ballot. Two of those re-elected Tuesday — Lynda Quinn and Harold Bigelow — are staunch supporters of keeping the Indians nickname.

Aren't board members allowed to have an opinion? Of course they are and of course they will. But bias means not being open to hearing all sides of an argument and possibly changing one's mind.

Tracking any vote taken this week will be difficult. While the 2015 vote was reported as 11-9 for keeping the mascot, this is somewhat misleading. Maine Administrative School District (MSAD) 54 was created to bring several towns together for the purposes of public education.

I'm guessing there was a lot of resistance to that change, thus the weighting system in use today that renders this board about as complicated as the electoral college:

Town:                  Number of Directors:          Votes Per Director:          Total Votes Per Town:

Canaan	2	43	86
Cornville	2	30	60
Mercer	2	16	32
Norridgewock	4	46	184
Skowhegan	11	53	583
Smithfield	2	27	54

To put names to votes, here is the current board makeup following Monday's election to fill a vacant seat in Norridgewock:

DIXIE RING Canaan  43 votes		JEAN FRANKLIN Canaan   43 votes		THERESA HOWARD Cornville    30 votes
DARCY SURETTE Cornville   30 votes		MARYELLEN CHARLES Mercer     16 votes		SARAH BUNKER Mercer    16 votes
KATHERINE WILDER Norridgewock   46 votes		HALEY FLEMING Norridgewock   46 votes		DESIREE LIBBY Norridgewock   46 votes
BRANDY MORGAN Norridgewock  46 votes		MARK BEDARD Skowhegan      53 votes		HAROLD BIGELOW Skowhegan   53 votes
JEANNIE CONLEY Skowhegan  53 votes		DEREK ELLIS Skowhegan     53 votes		RICHARD IRWIN Skowhegan   53 votes
PEGGY LOVEJOY Skowhegan   53 votes		JENNIFER POIRIER Skowhegan    53 votes		LYNDA QUINN Skowhegan   53 votes
AMY ROUSE Skowhegan   53 votes		KAREN SMITH Skowhegan     53 votes		TODD SMITH Skowhegan  53 votes
GOFF FRENCH Smithfield     27 votes		CHRISTY JOHNSON Smithfield    27 votes

If these look like mailing labels, it's because they are. I will have them on hand March 7 to help me accurately record what board members say during the meeting. It is described as a workshop convened so that board members may express their thoughts following lots of public comment since Penobscot Ambassador Maulian Dana delivered a letter asking to retire the mascot back in November.

Ms. Dana is currently in Washington DC meeting with officials about Penobscot Nation interests. Will she make it back to Maine in time to attend Thursday's meeting? Stay tuned.

ADDITIONAL INFO 3/7/19:
From the Portland Press Herald article of June 29, 2015,"Debate over 'Indians' mascot persists despite school board vote to keep it" (link here):

A Dog Responds To Skowhegan Indian Pride Mascot Defender

Gillie Dog Davis (photo credit: Sky Davis)

I love sharing a good guest post, and this one is a first. It's from the dog of Sky Davis, a Native activist in Massachusetts whose daughter Lily sent a wonderful email to the school board in Skowhegan a couple of months ago (you can read it here).

Gillie Dog Davis is responding to Skowhegan "Indian Pride" supporter Nichole LaChapelle who is getting a lot of attention on social media for asking if next we would be asking dogs for permission to be used as mascots.

to: MSAD 54 school board

date: 3/1/19

Re: The Mascot

Hi! 

My name is Gillie Davis and I am a Miniature American Shepherd! I am a certified service animal for two super amazing kids who just happen to be Indigenous! Cool right?

One of my humans, I call her the Deliverer of the Food!, tells me that last night during your meeting a member of the Skowhegan community equated Native American Peoples to dogs. While it's really awesome to be a dog I have to tell you, this is highly problematic and indicative of the issue at hand. When people draw this conclusion it highlights why using humans as mascots is so highly problematic. Mascots or 'names' or inaccurate symbols taint living People to the point where they are dehumanized, and that is exactly what happened last night. It was said out loud and it was blatant. Dogs, cats, birds or other animals of course are not going to tell a school district to discontinue using our names or images because, well, first of all most critters are not allowed access to electronics but most importantly animals do not have civil rights protections under the law nor will the use of our likeness or image or 'name' cause us harm in any way as we are not affected in the same manner as human beings. This should be common sense. But I understand, humans are complicated. 

In all honesty, this has become as ridiculous as a dog addressing a school board. The fact that individuals are so opposed to change, so opposed to being kind and understanding, so opposed to recognizing that something has been proven time and again to be harmful yet still wishing to hold on to something that has no shown benefit is a fantastic example of the failure of society. When doing the right thing is so far removed from ones realm it is no wonder that human society is devolving into a cold and heartless place. Kids should feel welcomed in school. All kids. My kids would not feel welcome in your school, I can tell you that right now. Because they are 'Indian'. They were born that way and they will be 'Indian' every single day for the rest of their lives. Diminishing their sense of self is not educating as NAGA puts it. Retiring the mascot, oops, I mean name and symbol, is not going to lead to Native Peoples being forgotten, they have been here forever and will continue to be here long after each and every one of you are gone. They are members of sovereign Nations and cannot be disappeared so easily. If you disagree with that then you honestly do not have the respect and honor you claim to have and you need to recognize and own that. That's all I have to say. I've got some squirrels to chase. Woof.

Sincerely,

Gillie Dog Davis

Gillie and family (photo credit: Sky Davis)

Bernie Sanders' previous campaign advisor and Native activist Tara Houska weighed in yesterday on Twitter:

Skowhegan, ME: Native parents call for “Indians” to #ChangeTheName.

At the school board hearing, a mascot defender: “What’s next, are we going to ask dogs how they feel about being a mascot?”

Native people = Dogs.

Still think mascots aren’t dehumanizing? #NoHonorInRacism pic.twitter.com/DFDXSlc9cA

— tara houska (@zhaabowekwe) March 2, 2019

If you want to hear it for yourself, here's a complete video of all visitors' remarks at the meeting. Nichole LaChapelle's now infamous remarks begin at the 4:56 mark and include "We didn't ask the dog for permission to be a mascot." Skowhegan "Indian Pride" members are now claiming LaChapelle was denied the opportunity to finish what she was saying so it is being taken out of context.

Indian Mascot Supporter Shocks Crowd: What’s next, are we going to ask dogs how they feel about being a mascot?

Bus driver Cecil Gray displays a sign with the nickname bestowed on those who continue to call for the outdated "Indian" mascot to be retired: Changers!

I started writing this blog a few years ago in order to keep my head from exploding over news of the ongoing corporate war against the poor, at home and abroad.

One of the reasons I keep blogging is that mainstream media so often fail to report significant news, local or international.

Coverage of the Skowhegan school board meeting last night by the Waterville Morning Sentinel, Fox23 TV, News Center Maine and Maine Public.org failed to share this shocking quote from one of three speakers asking to keep the "Indian" team name. Speaker Nichole LaChapelle said,

“What’s next, are we going to ask dogs how they feel about being a mascot?”

and was met by a collective gasp from the room. This is likely a reference to nearby Lawrence High School, a basketball rival, but even from the folks that continue to insist the team name "Indian" is meant to honor Native people, this is a new level of irony. Do they not experience cognitive dissonance when honoring humans by equating them with dogs?

Thank the goddess for Somerset Community TV 11 whose reporter John Harlow was front and center with his camera recording what transpired. (On February 24, Harlow was barred from a private meeting convened by board members on behalf of their Skowhegan "Indian Pride" group).

Other newsworthy things that I have found no coverage of: our side now has an official name and even a logo. Change supporter Peter Stowell produced dozens of these signs and handed them out at the meeting:

Also, there was a brief kerfuffle between Superintendent Brent Colbry and one or two board members seated to his left. Harold Bigelow interrupted the superintendent's report to move that no more discussion on the mascot take place (Colbry had placed an item about deciding next steps on the superintenden't report section of the agenda, as Bigelow would have known going into the meeting). Possibly Lynda Quinn seconded it, but I could not hear clearly because there were no microphones and I was in the back of a packed room.

I moved up front in time to hear Colbry say something along the lines of, "Are you going to let me finish?" It became clear that he was trying to recommend what he felt were appropriate next steps: to have a workshop-style meeting for the board members to discuss their views publicly, but without input from the public. Bigelow's motion was eventually withdrawn, a motion was made to accept Colbry's proposal, and the board voted overwhelmingly to have a workshop on the mascot March 7 at 7pm in the HIGH SCHOOL cafeteria.

Be there, or be square.

Retire The Mascot Because It Costs Too Much To Defend It Is Focus Of Email Campaign

Pretendian Mark "OneWolf" Yancey (right) was invited to a closed meeting by the Skowhegan "Indian Pride" group led by MSAD 54 board member Jennifer Poirier last Sunday, February 24. Somerset Community TV 11, which videotapes and shares many public meetings in their entirety and without comment, was turned away from the event held at a local bowling alley despite presenting press credentials. 

The MSAD 54 school board is weeks behind in their budget process for school year '19-20, and at least $15,000 out of pocket for defending the "Indian" nickname/macot. Once considered fine, it's now 2019 and the mascot has not aged well at all.

In the run up to this Thursday's board meeting and superintendent's agenda item on next steps, many local taxpayers and other concerned parties are waging a letter writing campaign. Here's the one I sent this morning, with a handy copy-and-paste list of board members, central office administrators and their assistants. 

Subject: Costly, aging mascot needs to retire to free up time and $$ for edu

to: dixiering@msad54.org, maryellencharles@msad54.org, markbedard@msad54.org, haroldbigelow@msad54.org, sarahbunker@msad54.org, heidichartrand@msad54.org, jeannieconley@msad54.org, derekellis@msad54.org, haleyfleming@msad54.org, jeanfranklin@msad54.org, gfrench@msad54.org, theresahoward@msad54.org, richardirwin@msad54.org, christyjohnson@msad54.org, desireelibby@msad54.org, peggylovejoy@msad54.org, brandymorgan@msad54.org, jenniferpoirier@msad54.org, lyndaquinn@msad54.org, amyrouse@msad54.org, karensmith@msad54.org, toddsmith@msad54.org, darcysurette@msad54.org cc: bcolbry@msad54.org, tlaporte@msad54.org, jmoody@msad54.org,tfoster@msad54.org Dear MSAD directors and administrators, I was glad to finally see my question to you all about your budget for legal costs and whether or not it has been exceeded answered in the Sentinel article by Rachel Ohm yesterday. Chair Ring had previously responded to my question about the legal costs of the mascot issue with a figure of $15,000 which is close to the amount in Superintendent Colbry's quote to the reporter (i.e. $15,500). Unfortunately, I can't rely on the accuracy of newspaper articles for information about how MSAD 54 conducts the business of public education on behalf of those of us who pay for it e.g. a file photo of me and my husband in the same article misidentified me as Linda Savage. Your mascot has not aged well and is costing local taxpayers far more than anything related to sports teams should. All the time and expense of defending the "Indian" nickname/mascot is mounting with no end in sight. The board should be focused on developing a workable budget for the '19-20 school year right now.  I am sorry to see that you have a board member cozied up to a pretend "Indian" from the Washington DC area who is no such thing. If you want to read more about Mark "OneWolf" Yancey's history with mascots I recommend this article from the sports website Deadspin: "Is the R##skins' VIP Indian Defender a Fake Indian?" https://deadspin.com/is-the-redskins-vip-indian-defender-a-fake-indian-1642991295 Jen Poirier (at right in photo), you are clearly biased and should recuse yourself from any future vote on retiring the mascot. I am glad that you and others from Skowhegan "Indian Pride" have finally dropped your objections to listening to people from away. Institutionalized racism affects everyone who comes in contact with it, and it has a particularly deleterious effect on young people's self-image and aspirations when they identify with the targeted group. Please do the right thing and retire the mascot before any more money or time is wasted on fighting a losing battle. Sincerely, Lisa Savage Solon resident, Skowhegan taxpayer

Skowhegan School Board Director Poirier Ignores Legal Vulnerability, Brings NAGA To Town

Birds of a feather flock together. Pretendians and actual Native supporters of Covington Catholic School boys who mocked Native ceremonial drumming at an Indigenous People's Day March in Washington DC last month while wearing clothing with the slogan "Make America Great Again".

Skowhegan school board director Jennifer Poirier has decided to ignore her legal vulnerability for bias in conducting MSAD 54's business of educating children.

Plowing straight ahead into that particular storm, in her capacity as an organizer for the Skowhegan "Indian Pride" (SIP) group she has invited the Native American Guardians Association (NAGA) to Skowhegan for an invitation-only event to be held at the bowling alley.

NAGA was established by people affiliated with the Washington R#%$kin$ football franchise and their efforts to resist calls to retire their racist team name.

The sports site Deadspin has been following their efforts in Washington DC as well as their involvement in local mascot controversies at schools in New York and Utah, among other places. 


Post from Cedar High School, Utah mascot controversy where the "R*dmen" were recently retired. Posted by Not Your Disappearing Indian podcaster Jacqueline Keeler.

Now, NAGA will come to Maine.

So much for SIP's constant refrain that they are tired of people from "away" telling them what to do about the Indian team name they claim is a purely local issue.

Probably the most convincing evidence that NAGA does not actually represent Maine's Native people is their own statement, "NAGAs[sic] mission is to preserve and perpetuate Native American culture..."  As we know, Maine alone has four Native groups, each with their own distinctive culture which includes language. Passamoquoddy is not Penobscot, and vice versa, etc. 

There is literally no such thing as Native American culture, singular.

(Also, the white people who lead NAGA might want to study their own cultural practices around correct use of the possessive apostrophe.)

MSAD 54 school board members should probably listen to legal advice and check themselves before they wreck themselves. What they do during board meetings is protected by insurance in place to cover any liabilities incurred while conducting official business. We, the taxpayers, pay those insurance premiums, presumably because there would be too much risk to an individual making policy decisions that might lead to a lawsuit. What directors do outside of board meetings is not protected unless they have their own insurance for this. They are acting as individuals, and can be held liable as such.

For broader context, here's news of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan filing a federal discrimination complaint against the Paw Paw Public School district. What's the mascot/team name at Paw Paw High School? The R#%$kin$.

(I use a euphemism for this name because of the connotation of scalping and bloodletting that were foundational to the attempted genocide targeting indigenous people in North America.)

The ACLU of Maine has already notified Poirier and the other MSAD 54 directors, on more than one occasion, that they consider the team name Indians violates non-discrimination statutes that schools receiving federal funds must observe.

This screenshot from the SIP Facebook group indicates that changers who want to weigh in at the event this Sunday, February 24 from 1-3pm at the bowling alley would do well to stand on the public road (Route 201) with their signs.

As someone who has exercised my 1st amendment rights in Skowhegan on many, many Sundays, I feel safe in saying that the local police are well aware of where people may engage in political speech. Hooray for the Constitution!

As for why pretendians and some actual Native people from away represent for NAGA, we know that the majority owner of the Washington NFL franchise and its branding is very, very wealthy. Could be it's all about the Benjamins, baby.

An Infographic Worth A Thousand Words On Retiring The Skowhegan Pretendian Mascot

Glad to share this infographic presentation of events around retiring the Skowhegan "Indian" mascot created by Eden Dyer of Students for Democratic Socialism at Southern Maine Community College.

Dyer shared her work with these links to sources for her information:

References:
https://www.msad54.org/…/Minutes%20-%201819%20Public%20Foru…https://www.msad54.org/msad-54-school-boardhttps://www.msad54.org/board-committee-meeting-calendar
https://www.centralmaine.com/…/sisters-taking-up-indian-ma…/
https://www.pressherald.com/…/supporters-opponents-set-to-…/
https://www.centralmaine.com/…/200-people-weigh-in-on-indi…/
http://www.ncai.org/proudtobe
https://suburbanstats.org/pop…/how-many-people-live-in-maine
https://bangordailynews.com/…/debate-over-skowhegans-india…/
https://bangordailynews.com/…/tribal-leaders-again-ask-sko…/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1599898816957877/
http://www.mainepublic.org/…/dark-chapter-local-history-has…
http://www.mainepublic.org/…/public-has-say-whether-get-rid…https://archive.bangordailynews.com/…/husson-completes-mas…/
https://archive.bangordailynews.com/…/school-board-names-n…/
https://www.centralmaine.com/…/school-panel-votes-to-remo…/…
https://www.latimes.com/…/la-sp-indians-wahoo-20180129-stor…
https://www.documentcloud.org/…/5453033-RSU-54-Letter-12-6-…
https://www.aclumaine.org/…/letter_skowheganschooldistrict_…
http://skowhegan.mainememory.net/page/2048/display.html
https://www.skowhegan.org/307/History
https://www.skowhegan.org/DocumentCen…/…/21/General-History…
https://www.skowhegan.org/DocumentCen…/…/Rebuilding-History…

If I get a snow day tomorrow I will report back on our door-to-door canvass in Skowhegan last Sunday. It was interesting, educational and rather depressing.