US BANNED NATIVE AMERICAN MASCOTS -- {USAGM}
Metadata
- US BANNED NATIVE AMERICAN MASCOTS -- {USAGM}
- December 14, 2022
- Content Type Package
- Language English
- Transcript/Script US BANNED NATIVE AMERICAN MASCOTS TV)) HEADLINE: There’s Progress Eliminating Some American Indian Mascots, But Not All TEASER: Native Americans say the images disparage, stigmatize Indigenous students PUBLISHED AT: 12/14/2022 at 1:06p BYLINE: Veronica Balderas Iglesias CONTRIBUTOR: Cecily Hilleary, Lynn Davis DATELINE: Washington VIDEOGRAPHER/VIDEO EDITOR: Veronica Balderas Iglesias SCRIPT EDITORS: Tom Detzel, MAS, SRedisch ok VIDEO SOURCE (S): Agencies, Skype see script for others PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __ TRT: 4:01 VID APPROVED BY: Reifenrath TYPE: TVPKG EDITOR NOTES: UPDATE: Radio Tracks for Reversioning Included)) ((TV INTRO)) [[Tolerance for Native American-themed sports mascots is wearing thin across the United States. New York is the latest state to ban them from public schools. Activists say conversations about the mascots — and respect and equality are long overdue. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias reports.]] ((WEB LEAD)) [[Tolerance for Native American-themed sports mascots is wearing thin across the United States. New York is the latest state to ban them from public schools. Activists say conversations about the mascots — and respect and equality are long overdue. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias reports.]] ((NARRATOR)) An exhibition about Native American stereotypes, at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, has seen an uptick of visitors in recent years. Curator Paul Chaat Smith, a Comanche, attributes the rise in part to efforts to ban native-themed sports mascots. ((Paul Chaat Smith, National Museum of the American Indian)) “The tide really shifted decisively in 2020, when a number of major professional sports teams changed their names. Cleveland Indians, the team here in Washington changed the name to Commanders.” ((NARRATOR)) ((Mandatory cg: NCAI/YouTube)) The advocacy group called the National Congress of American Indians -or NCAI - lists almost two thousand public and private schools ((Mandatory cg: NCAI)) that still use native-themed mascots. ((Paul Chaat Smith, National Museum of the American Indian)) “When you say, ‘This is disparaging to us. / You don't do that with any other ethnic group in the country, people can hear that. But in their own practice of this, they're not doing anything offensive, much less racist, so the discussion is complicated.” ((NARRATOR)) According to NCAI, more than 21 states have taken or considered actions to bar them from schools. ((Mandatory cg: NYSED)) In November, the New York State Department of Education said it wants the mascots, logos and team names gone by the end of the school year. ((end courtesy)) Officials cited research documenting negative psychological effects on students. [[RADIO INTRO: Christopher Van Houten is the President of the New York Association of School Psychologists]] ((Christopher Van Houten, New York Association of School Psychologists)) ((Skype)) “It prohibits Indigenous students from developing that cultural identity that is so important to them developing healthy self-esteem. And it impacts long-term outcomes such as graduation, you know, entering the workforce.” ((NARRATOR)) New York schools were first urged to voluntarily retire their mascots more than 20 years ago. School districts now risk losing state money, but some aren’t ready to fully comply. ((NARRATOR)) ((Mandatory cg: Cambridge CSD/YouTube)) The Cambridge Central School District told VOA it has covered its native-themed logo and nickname wherever possible, ((Mandatory cg: Cambridge CSD)) but will continue its legal battle against the decision. ((Mandatory cg: Mohonasen CSD)) Also in New York, the Mohonasen district’s logo depicts three Native American nations. Its sports teams are the “Warriors.” The school board wants more details from State Authorities and public discussion before decisions can be made. ((Wade Abbott, Mohonasen CSD Board of Education President)) ((Skype)) “There would be significant costs and significant time invested into making those changes. We don’t have a ton of money as a school district.” ((NARRATOR)) ((Mandatory cg : Central Michigan University)) Some U.S. schools could end up keeping their native mascots for another reason – because tribes approve. The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, for example, has endorsed Central Michigan University’s use of its name only. ((Erik Rodriguez, Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe)) ((Skype)) “As far as educational opportunity, I think talking about the historical nature, the history behind the tribes, the influence that the Native American culture has had in that area, those are all part of that larger discussion when you talk about using that nickname.” ((NARRATOR)) But the trend is the other way. Suzan Shown Harjo is a Native American rights activist who says banning native mascots is long overdue. She doesn’t consider their use a quote “victimless crime.” ((Suzan Shown Harjo, Native American Rights Activist)) ((Skype)) “Rather than the mascot, or the name, or the image, or the symbology being the manifestation of the root problem, and the root problem is racial superiority, one group over another." There is not a national ban on Native American-themed mascots. However, U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland – the first Native American to oversee federal lands – has ordered steps to remove derogatory names. Already one sexist slur offensive to Indigenous women ((Mandatory cg: U.S. Geological Survey)) has been replaced in nearly 650 geographic features nationwide. ((end courtesy)) Haaland is a member of the Pueblo of Laguna tribe in New Mexico. ((Veronica Balderas Iglesias, for VOA News, Washington))
- NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
- Network VOA
- Location (dateline) Washington D.C.
- Embargo Date December 14, 2022 18:42 EST
- Byline Veronica Balderas Iglesias, for VOA News, Washington
- Brand / Language Service Voice of America - English