Free to Choose the Mascot We Give You

In the fall of 2022, New York State’s Commissioner of Education dispatched a letter to all school districts, directing them to remove any mascots or logos referencing Amerindians. This followed a decision out of a lower court from June 2022 which had ruled such race-based “mascotization” inconsistent with New York’s educational policy for a “safe and supportive environment” in schools.

There are several angles to consider here without first rushing to the most offensive. There have been some mascots which were unseemly caricatures, and it is understood why they should be retired. Examples coming to mind are the former logos for the Atlanta Braves, the Cleveland Indians and the Washington Redskins. A quick web search for California’s Coachella Valley Unified School District’s “Arab” mascot is another heuristic example. One can see that whenever an anonymous or fictional figure is used as representative for the figure’s supposed group, it is bound to offend some members of that perceived group.

Conversely, there are cases of “ethnic” mascots which were intended as praise rather than disparagement. The Chicago Blackhawks, a professional hockey team, uses as its logo a representation of Sauk chief Blackhawk, who formidably defended his lands in the Midwest against U.S. expansionism. In my own neck of the woods, the local school – in compliance with the Education Commissioner’s decree – now retires its logo, which is a reverent representation of a Wappinger brave, such as those who inhabited this area. Likewise, it was a flattering representation in the source case – Cambridge Central School District v. NYS Educ. Dep’t, for those keeping score at home – which ran afoul of departmental policy, and the Commissioner’s preferences trump the will of voters in the respective school districts (a newly elected school board re-instated the logo after the previous school board had voted to scrap it).

If anything, this outright ban will have two adverse effects. Firstly, the Education Department denies school districts the opportunity to review their respective mascots/logos to determine whether they are of the offensive type, or the respectful kind. Students will need to make such distinctions in life as productive citizens, so this is a crucial lesson to skip. Presuming the worst about any “ethnic” depiction is a recipe for endless conflict. Secondly, for those school districts coerced into removing their mascot/logo, the Education Department effectively implied that these school districts had been using “racist” representation all these years. Such messaging is unconducive to school spirit, which is the whole point of mascots and logos.

In short, if diversity really is a strength as we often hear, then people will have to act like it. On one hand, that means we should all try to be more conscious of what representations we use in our communications, how and why. On the other hand, it also means we recognize that some people’s communication will differ from our own, and they may intend no offense by the way they choose to express themselves.

Originally posted April 27th, 2023, on Facebook.