Resolution of the North Carolina State Advisory Council on Indian Education

Title: A Resolution in Support of Eliminating American Indian Descriptions Naming Mascots, Logos, and Sport Team Nicknames for North Carolina Public Schools.

Whereas, the State Advisory Council on Indian Education serves as a mechanism for advising the State Board of Education on issues pertaining to the education of American Indian students in grades K-12; and,

Whereas, the State Advisory Council on Indian Education is charged by the General Assembly of North Carolina, BB 2560, to advise the State Board of Education and the Department of Public Instruction on effective educational practices for Indian students including practices that raise academic achievement and reduce the dropout rate among American Indian students; and,

Whereas, the use of American Indian descriptions naming mascots, logos, and sports team nicknames has been determined to have detrimental effects on the achievement and self-identity, self-concept, and self-esteem of Indian students; and,

Whereas, nearly sixty public schools in North Carolina have Indian sport mascots, and

Whereas, the academic performance of American Indian students continues to lag behind all other groups in North Carolina; and,

Whereas, American Indian students have the highest drop-out rate of any segment of the North Carolina public school enrollment; and,

Whereas, the 18,000 American Indian students and all students in North Carolina's public schools have the right to be treated with respect and dignity and to be free from demeaning stereotypes, and,

Whereas, it is a strategic priority that North Carolina's public schools provide a welcoming, caring, and conducive atmosphere for learning for American Indian students; and,

Whereas, it is a strategic priority of the State Board of Education to have American Indian students achieve high performance in schools; and,

Whereas, it is a strategic priority of the State Board of Education to have teachers and counselors who practice effective strategies for maintaining high levels of self-esteem among American Indian students thereby decreasing failure and drop out rates; and,

Whereas, it is a strategic priority of the State Board of Education to have teachers, administrators, and staff who are culturally sensitive and who are aware of the social and linguistic differences of Indian students; and,

Whereas, it is desirable to sensitize and to inform those well-meaning persons who feel that they are honoring American Indians by using American Indian descriptions for mascots, logos, and sports teams; and,

Whereas, the National Indian Education Association, the Society of Indian Psychologists, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs, and over I 00 other national organizations and school systems have endorsed the elimination of Indian sports mascots; and,

Whereas, the membership of the State Advisory Council on Indian Education consider the use of American Indian descriptions naming mascots, logos, and sports team nicknames as offensive, demeaning, and disrespectful to American Indians, their culture, and their heritage;

"We, therefore, resolve

-that for educational, curricular, and psychological reasons, North Carolina's public schools and their students will benefit from eliminating American Indian mascots and related imagery, and,

-that the State Advisory Council on Indian Education endorses the Resolution of The N.C. Commission of Indian Affairs (NCCIA) and shares the Commission's hope that all public schools in North Carolina will eliminate Indian sport mascots and imagery by June 2003, and,

-that the N.C. State Advisory Council on Indian Education requests that the North Carolina State Board of Education recommend that the public schools of North Carolina educate themselves on the educational, curricular, and psychological effects of using sport mascots and logos and that all public school systems review their policies and procedures toward the use of Indian sport mascots, logos, and all demeaning imagery."

CERTIFICATION

The State Advisory Council on Indian Education adopted this Resolution by a unanimous vote of the membership during the February 26, 2002, meeting.

Signed-

Anthony Locklear, Chairman

Priscilla Maynor, Senior Assistant to State Superintendent of Public Instruction

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WNCCEIB/MEAG NOTE: Contact information for N.C. Advisory Council on Indian Education

Priscilla Maynor, State Superintendent's Office, NC Department of Public Instruction

Education Building, 301 N. Wilmington St. Raleigh, NC 27601-2825

919-807-3434

See Asheville Citizen-Times editorial on this Resolution, "It's time to consider some changes on symbols that can divide us"