(CBS DETROIT) – The Native American Heritage Fund says it has been working to remove offensive mascots in Michigan by the end of the year.
“In the beginning we had 15 offensive mascots, and we succeeded. Starting in this last funding cycle, we need to eradicate all 15 of them,” said Tribal Council Chairman Dorie Rios. “Most of the time we didn’t have to reach out to those communities and say, ‘Let’s rethink this mascot.’ It was actually the student body for the majority of them, you know, I think they saw that it wasn’t done properly.”
That was the case for Plymouth High School.
“Two separate groups of students have come forward to our board of education and submitted proposals to consider changing the mascot,” said Monica Merritt, superintendent of Plymouth Canton Community Schools.
Plymouth High School is now officially called the Cobras. Merritt said there has been some resistance to changing the mascot from alumni.
“Not surprisingly, there was still strong support for keeping the Chiefs name, but through our discussions the outreach board really urged us to listen to tribal leaders and professional organizations,” Merritt said.
The district applied for and received a grant through the Native American Heritage Fund, which covered more than half of the approximately $200,000 cost of changing logos, athletic apparel and signage.
Now that the mascots have changed, Rios says the fund’s focus will shift to more education, including Native American lessons in the curriculum and tackling small projects throughout Michigan.
Elle Meijers
