Time For Some Leadership Against Racism #Skowhegan #mepolitics

Screenshot of an exchange between a Skowhegan Area High School coach and a school board member. The depicted item is a vintage artifact of the celebration of genocide against Native people. As historians know, scalping was instituted by white settlers as a way of terrorizing the local Native people and of proving that a bounty was due for their murderers. In case you can't see the image on the towel clearly, it is of a hand clutching a crumpled up scalp with hair on it.

This morning I used my school email account to send a message to the Superintendent in Maine School Administrative District #54. I work in a neighboring district but own a home in Skowhegan near the high school that will eventually step into the 21st century by retiring its racist "Indian" mascot for its sports teams.

My father played football for the high school and I'll wear his vintage letter sweater to the board meeting tonight. There is no Indian on it, and claims of "tradition" and "heritage" supporting this racist mascot are bullshit. My family has paid taxes for several generations to support this school system, an otherwise admirable system that does not deserve this blot on its reputation. 

A young member of my family played freshman football this year for Skowhegan and was good enough to be called up to practice with the varsity squad after the freshman season ended. He was told by coaches that the Indian is not the team mascot. Clearly, the school knows that continuing to identify as "Indians" is unsustainable and unpopular with youth. 

The biggest question is whether the professional educators like Superintendent Colbry will lead the way or if they will continue to acquiesce as white supremacists disrespect and threaten Native women and children with  violence.

To: bcolbry@msad54.org

Dear Superintendent Colbry,

I will be at the board of directors meeting for SAD#54 tonight to deliver a message whose time has come. In particular, I will be calling on you as an educational leader to take a stand and work toward retiring the remnants of SAHS's racist mascot, the "Indian" -- or as some Native people refer to it, the "pretendian."

Here are images I will offer tonight as evidence of the viciously racist nature of the "Indian" brand. This evidence may help you and the board understand the urgency of righting this historical wrong.

These images may help you understand why the American Psychological Association found that the use of American Indian mascots HARMS ALL CHILDREN exposed to them, including those seeing their culture misrepresented. In 2005 the APA called on schools to retire the use of such mascots. That was 13 years ago. 

Penobscot Tribal Ambassador Maulian Dana has received threats to rape her and to do harm to her two school aged daughters because of her vocal opposition to the "Indian" mascot. That's the side you're on. I urge you to find the courage to do the right thing.

Lisa Savage

Skowhegan homeowner and taxpayer

Does Maine Lead The Nation In Retiring Racist School Mascots?

Below is a post I prepared two years ago.

There is a school board meeting this week, Thursday, November 15, 2018, to raise the issue of the need to retire the "Indian" team name and racist caricatures and other crap like scalp towels. The meeting is at 7pm at the Skowhegan Area Middle School and there is a time on the agenda to hear from the public.

As a homeowner and taxpayer in Skowhegan -- now watching the third generation of my family play sports for the town -- I will be there. I hope you can join me if you live in the area. You can spot me because I'll be wearing my dad's vintage varsity letter sweater with a big orange "S" on the chest. My dad was a football player who earned three varsity letters, and  there is no Indian on my dad's sweater. This pretendian nonsense based on tradition is no such thing. That is what I plan to tell the school board.

Time To Retire The Racist Mascot Of Skowhegan High School "Indians" #mepolitics

...

When Skowhegan, Maine began using the Indian mascot, no harm was intended.

People who defend the mascot claim its intent is to "honor" the people of Maine's tribes. But representatives from all four tribes -- Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet and Micmac -- have told the school board they do not feel honored.

In 2015, it is clear that the institutionalized racism inherent in using native people as team mascots harms us all. Maine's tribal leaders have repeatedly told the school board they are offended by the Indian mascot. Penboscot elder Barry Dana has stated, "Why should I need to explain why I am offended? Shouldn't the fact that I am offended be enough?"

Passamaquoddy elder Madonna Scotomah asked the Skowhegan school board last month why a team or its fans would want to imitate someone else's culture, or consider that imitation an honor?

The American Psychological Association has published research indicating that the use of American Indian mascots harms all children exposed to it, including those seeing their culture misrepresented. In 2005 the APA called on schools to retire the use of such mascots.

A Canadian First Nations man who was successful in getting a youth league football team to change its name from the the Nepean Redskins to the Nepean Eagles. put it this way:

"[racist team names] are the most in-your-face socially acceptable systemic oppression within our society and yet it's used by children's football teams. 

It's not even a gateway drug for racism, it is racism."

You can read more about Ian Campeau's successful effort here.

The Bangor Daily News published this editorial on April 30: 

Let’s end the era of offensive mascots, nicknames

KEVIN BENNETT | BDN

Junior Scott LaFlamme hides from fellow Old Town High School students as they file into the gym before the introduction of the school’s new coyote mascot in April 2006. The school’s former mascot, an Indian, was replaced because it was deemed disrespectful to the Penobscot Indian Nation.

A high school age opponent of the change told reporters in Skowhegan last month that changing the team name would "erase history." As a history major and teacher, I beg to differ. History, in fact, is all about change. Some changes are bad for us while others are beneficial. Let's hope the Skowhegan School Board finds the courage to do the right thing.

When they do  retire the Indian mascot, Maine will become the first state in the U.S. with no racist high school team mascots. Dirigo!