Maine school must drop Indian mascot

"Cultural violence" gobbledegook below.  How is an Indian mascot racist?  It celebrates Indians if anything

The president of the Greater Bangor Area NAACP has formally asked school officials in Skowhegan to stop using the Indian name and image as a mascot for sports teams.

In a letter dated Friday, accompanied by copies of a petition, NAACP President Michael Alpert writes that his organization is dedicated to “universal civil rights and to the eradication of all forms of racism” — including use of the Indian mascot, which he called a symbol of racism.

“The implications of cultural violence embedded in Skowhegan High School’s nickname and mascot are deeply offensive to native people,” Alpert writes. “Just as important, the nickname and mascot degrades your community’s standing.

Alpert said the NAACP is acting in support of efforts already underway by Barry Dana of Solon, the former chief of the Penobscot Nation, and Ed Rice, of Orono and New Brunswick, a journalist, adjunct college instructor and author who has campaigned for the name change.

SOURCE

Posted by John J. Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).