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Redskin is a slang term for Native Americans in the United States and First Nations in Canada. The term redskin underwent pejoration through the 19th to early 20th centuries and in contemporary dictionaries of American English, it is labeled as offensive, disparaging, or insulting. Although the term has almost disappeared from contemporary use, it remains in use as a sports team name. The most prominent was the NFL's Washington Redskins, who resisted decades of opposition before retiring the name in 2020 following renewed attention to racial justice in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests. While the usage by other teams has been declining steadily, 37 high schools in the United States continue to be Redskins. School administrators and alumni assert that their use of the name is honoring their local tradition and not insulting to Native Americans.
Neshaminy High School is a public high school in Middletown Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the only high school in the Neshaminy School District, serving students in Middletown Township, Lower Southampton Township, Hulmeville, Langhorne, Langhorne Manor, and Penndel. In 2022, the school enrolled 2,677 students in grades 9 through 12. "U.S. News & World Report" ranked the school 117 out of 718 Pennsylvania high schools in 2022.
Chippewa Valley Schools is a school district with its headquarters located in Clinton Township, Macomb County, Michigan. The district encompasses over 27 square miles, partially serving students of the Clinton Township and Macomb Township along with other nearby districts. It served 16,226 students during the 2016-2017 school year, making it the 6th-largest school district by enrollment in the state. The school district was formed in 1959 through the consolidation of six existing school districts.
Swartz Creek Community School District is a public school district in Genesee County in the U.S. state of Michigan and in the Genesee Intermediate School District. The School District serves the City of Swartz Creek, parts of Flint, Flint Charter Township, Gaines Township, Clayton Township, Argentine Township and Village of Lennon even over into Shiawassee County.
Indian Creek High School is a public high school in Wintersville, Ohio. It is the only secondary school in the Indian Creek Local School District. Athletic teams compete as the Indian Creek Redskins in the Ohio High School Athletic Association as a member of the Buckeye 8 Athletic League as well as the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference.
Since the 1960s, the issue of Native American and First Nations names and images being used by sports teams as mascots has been the subject of increasing public controversy in the United States and Canada. This has been a period of rising Indigenous civil rights movements, and Native Americans and their supporters object to the use of images and names in a manner and context they consider derogatory. They have conducted numerous protests and tried to educate the public on this issue.
Michigan Department of Civil Rights is a department of the Michigan State Government created in 1965 to support the work of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission of Michigan's Constitution of 1963. The Commission directs the work of the department and has eight members. The executive director is John E. Johnson, Jr.
Ann Arbor Public Schools (AAPS) serves the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan and parts of eight surrounding townships covering 125 square miles (320 km2). The district operates 20 elementary schools, 2 K–8 schools, 6 middle schools, 4 comprehensive high schools, 1 alternative high school, 3 preschools and 1 adult education program; the district maintains 640 acres (2.6 km2) of real estate and 3,300,000 square feet (310,000 m2) of building space. The Ann Arbor Public Schools is the 8th largest school district among 555 districts in Michigan. The district is one of the best in Michigan, and it has a statewide reputation for academic excellence.
The Washington Redskins name controversy involved the name and logo previously used by the Washington Commanders, a National Football League (NFL) franchise located in the Washington metropolitan area. In the 1960s, the team's longtime name—the Redskins—and the associated logo began to draw criticism from Native American groups and individuals. The topic, part of the larger Native American mascot controversy, began receiving widespread public attention in the 1990s. In 2020, the team responded to economic pressure in the wake of the George Floyd protests by retiring the name and logo. The team called itself the "Washington Football Team" before rebranding as the Commanders in 2022.
Paw Paw High School is a public secondary school in Antwerp Township, Michigan, United States. It serves grades 9-12 for Paw Paw Public Schools.
Kyle Brockton Kalis is an American former professional football player who was a guard and center in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected as a first-team All-American by Sports Illustrated and Parade magazine during his senior year in high school, as well as the number one recruit in Ohio for the class of 2012. He became one of the top recruits in the 2012 college football recruiting class. Kalis played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, starting 47 games at right guard. He was signed by the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent in 2017.
Conrad Schools of Science is a public high school in unincorporated New Castle County, Delaware, United States and has a Wilmington postal address. It opened in 1935 as the Henry C. Conrad High School before closing in 1978 to become the middle school; existing students were bussed to Wilmington High School. It reopened in 2007 as the magnet school Conrad Schools of Science. It is one of seven high schools in the Red Clay Consolidated School District and offers grades six through twelve.
Sports teams named Redskins are part of the larger controversy regarding the use of Native American names, images and symbols by non-native sports teams. Teams of this name have received particular public attention because the term redskin is now generally regarded as disparaging and offensive.
In 2005 the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) distributed a "self evaluation" to its member institutions for teams to examine the use of potentially offensive imagery with their mascot choice. This examination was done in accordance with NCAA policy that requires each member institution to maintain an "atmosphere of respect for and sensitivity to the dignity of every person." Fourteen schools either removed all references to Native American culture or were deemed not to have references to Native American culture as part of their athletics programs. Subsequently, 19 teams were cited as having potentially "hostile or abusive" names, mascots, or images, that would be banned from displaying them during post-season play, and prohibited from hosting tournaments.
The use of terms and images referring to Native Americans/First Nations as the name or mascot for a sports team is a topic of public controversy in the United States and in Canada, arising as part of the Native American/First Nations civil rights movements. The retirement of the Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Indians has tipped public opinion in favor of eliminating Native mascots by public school, more states considering or passing legislation to do so, heeding tribal leaders who have advocating for change for decades.
Eli Savit is an American lawyer, law professor, and politician. He is currently serving as the Prosecuting Attorney in Washtenaw County, Michigan. His areas of expertise include civil rights, education law, environmental protection, state and local government, and criminal-justice reform.
References
- ↑ "About PPPS". Paw Paw Public Schools. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/774103405951774/videos/2852257231492271 [ user-generated source ]
- ↑ "Paw Paw Public Schools closed Monday due to threat". MLive.com. March 19, 2018. Archived from the original on April 26, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
- ↑ "15-year-old Paw Paw student arrested after 'credible threat,' guns located in home". WZZM. March 19, 2018.
- ↑ "Paw Paw athletes, coaches react to new 'Red Wolves' nickname". mlive. June 23, 2020. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- ↑ Paw Paw school district officially changes nickname to ‘Red Wolves,’ introduces logo
- ↑ ""Artistic" swastika? School district accused of racially hostile environment". CBS News. January 28, 2019. Archived from the original on January 31, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ↑ "Racism in the Paw Paw school district threatens to crush MLK's dream". ACLU of Michigan. Archived from the original on January 31, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ↑ Jones, Al (February 9, 2017). "Paw Paw remains the 'Redskins,' but it suffered on way to that decision". MLive.com. Archived from the original on January 23, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2019.