Parents and students protest an Indian mascot in Wisconsin. Photo by Ethan Keller / Twitter
Students at public schools in Madison, Wisconsin, will no longer be allowed to wear clothing or other attire depicting "Indian" mascots. The school board adopted a wide-ranging ban after hearing from Native American students like Gabriel Saiz, a member of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska who is a junior at Madison West High School. He's spoke out against hurtful mascots at a meeting last month, The Madison Capital Times reported. "You don’t think of us as people who have a complex history, you don’t think of us as 562 federally recognized tribes," Saiz told the school board, the paper reported. "You think of us as redskins.” The policy goes into effect in the next school year. It states: "Students may not wear shirts, hats, or other attire depicting Native American team names, logos, or mascots." Bronson Koenig, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin who plays for the University of Wisconsin in Madison, has spoken out against harmful imagery. Tribes also oppose racist mascots but a new law makes it harder to eliminate them in public schools in the state. Get the Story:
Madison School Board OKs ban on student attire with Indian mascots, logos (The Madison Capital Times 5/26)
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