A Pennsylvania community recently voted to reinstate the Susquehannock High School’s traditional Warriors logo, following a prior decision to remove it in 2021.
The new school board members, elected on pro-Native American platforms, supported the logo’s return, sparking both support and opposition within the community.
The move to remove the logo was seen as an attempt to rewrite local Native American history, leading to community backlash.
“This vote was the Lexington & Concord moment in the effort to defeat cancel culture,” Native American activist and historian Andre Billeaudeuax said.
“The SYCSD school board stands as a role model and blueprint for other communities fighting for their Native names and imagery,” the Native American Guardians Association (NAGA) stated.
“This movement was about erasing Native American culture and I wasn’t about to stand for it,” mother and school board member Jennifer Henkel said.
“The SYCSD school board stands as a role model and blueprint for other communities fighting for their Native names and imagery.”
“They came into their new positions with bravado to push their personal agendas, and not with humility to learn their jobs,” former member of the school board Deborah Kalina said.
“To put the mascot away is respect for the past, for the present and for the future,” Native American and school alumna Katy Isennock said.
The decision also involved conflicting historical accounts regarding the Susquehannock people’s presence in the area.
The controversy involved the influence of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and its stance against Native American imagery in sports.
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