And now:[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: From: "Advocates for American Indian Children" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Some background on the Arcadia High School situation: Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] for more information. Dear Mr. Gomez: As the Southern California Indian Center’s Advocates for American Indian Children, we would like to make your office aware of the events that have occurred at Arcadia High School surrounding the issue of the school’s “Apache” mascot. As you are probably aware, the Los Angeles Unified School District voted to eliminate its Indian mascots in 1997, following 17 years of efforts from the American Indian community. Following this turn of events, several different groups of community members approached Arcadia High School, protesting its offensive “Apache” mascot and requesting dialogue. The Arcadia Unified School District Board, faced with this issue, decided to let the Arcadia High School student council make the decision whether or not to keep the mascot. The student council was given 49 days to research the issue, however during this time, no American Indian community members were allowed to come to the school and speak to the students. As a result, the students never got to hear the point of view of the American Indian community. The students decided to keep the mascot because they felt it represented outstanding qualities in human beings. The students have formed a committee to eradicate “unacceptable” uses of the mascot and re-evaluate “questionable” uses of the mascot so as to depict the Apache mascot with “dignity and respect.” One such use of the mascot is this patch, “Apache Joe.” The school principal insists this image is no longer in use, however we were able to purchase this patch in September 1998, and we have documented on video tape that it is still in common use. As you can see from the image to the left (http://www.geocities.com/interethnic_icc/apachejoe.jpg), this mascot is an offensive caricature of American Indian people. The Apache mascot encourages behavior, particularly at school sporting events, that is damaging to Native Americans. We have documented football games this year in which the opposing team wields signs such as “Kill the Indians” and shouts racial epithets. In addition, the Arcadia side mocks the Apache people by engaging in stereotypical war whoops and other such behavior. Arcadia’s cheerleaders, the “Princesses,” don feather headdresses that are inauthentic and inappropriate. Numerous offensive uses of the Apache mascot have been observed throughout the school. The school newspaper is called the “Pow Wow” and the school store is called the “Trading Post.” Signs displayed throughout the school often portray Native Americans in exploitative ways. For example, a flyer for a women’s sporting event was observed in which a caricature of a Native woman was displayed in "Betty Boop" fashion, with exaggerated breasts and hips and a feather on her head. The pervasive use of these racially degrading images has had a direct effect on American Indian students of Arcadia High School. One parent, whose daughter had attended Arcadia for two years, complained about the mascot to the principal in July of 1999. Following her complaint, her daughter, son, and nephew were all denied enrollment for the 1999-2000 year, though the students had already attended school sessions and participated in school sports. Through advocacy by the Southern California Indian Center Education Component on the family’s behalf, these students were finally allowed to enroll. Since this time, another American Indian parent has complained about the mascot, fearing that her son was confronting images that would negatively affect his self-identity. However, the school district has refused to reconsider the mascot issue. Students of Arcadia have launched an “underground E-zine” website called “The Stupid Indian,” which contains more offensive images of Native Americans, such as this logo to the right (http://www.geocities.com/interethnic_icc/mainhead.jpg). The students claim to use the name “Stupid Indian” sarcastically to protest the school’s Apache mascot. The stereotypical images abundant at Arcadia High School show continued disrespect to the American Indian community and are particularly damaging to the self-esteem to American Indian children who either attend Arcadia High School or come in contact with it. We do not believe that eradicating the school’s unacceptable and questionable images of American Indians will solve the problem. To use any kind of American Indian mascot makes American Indian people less than human and promotes racism in the schools. As institutions of learning, schools have a responsibility to teach children accurately, to teach respect for all peoples and to promote self-esteem of all students. Any use of an American Indian mascot in the schools, no matter if it is supposedly portrayed with “dignity and respect,” singles out American Indian students for abuse and encourages cultural stereotyping that the other students will then take with them outside of the school and into society. Thank you for your concern about issues in the American Indian community. Should you have any questions or concerns about this issue, please contact us. Walk in balance, Advocates for American Indian Children <<<<=-=-= =-=-=>>>> "We simply chose an Indian as the emblem. We could have just as easily chosen any uncivilized animal." Eighth Grade student writing about his school's mascot, 1997 <<<<=-= http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/racial/ =-=>>>> IF it says: "PASS THIS TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW...." Please Check it before you send it at: http://urbanlegends.miningco.com/library/blhoax.htm <<<<=-=-=FREE LEONARD PELTIER!!!=-=-=>>>>
