THE MOHAWK REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS BEEN TAKING STEPS
TOWARD CHANGING THEIR LOGO, WHICH USES NATIVE AMERICAN
IMAGERY.
THE LOGO HAS ALREADY BEEN PHASED OUT ON SPORTS
UNIFORMS, AND NOW THE REGIONAL SCHOOL COMMITTEE WILL VOTE AT A
MEETING IN MAY ON WHETHER TO REMOVE A MURAL IN THE GYM THAT
WAS GIFTED TO THE SCHOOL.
I SAT DOWN WITH MICHAEL BUONICONTI, THE SUPERINTENDENT
OF THE MOHAWK REGIONAL DISTRICT, AND TWO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS,
MAE RICE-LESURE AND GRACE GOKEY, TO FIND OUT WHY THEY'RE IN FAVOR
OF REMOVING THE IMAGERY.
>> WELL, THE ISSUE OF NATIVE AMERICAN IMAGERY HAS BEEN PRETTY
FRONT-AND-CENTER FOR DECADES BUT IN OUR NECK OF THE WORDS IT CAME
UP IN A HISTORY CLASS IN HIGH SCHOOL ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO AND
EVOLVE INTO A DEBATE ABOUT THE PROS AND CONS OF THE NATIVE
AMERICAN IMAGERY AND FROM THERE IT MOVED INTO OUR LOCAL
EDUCATION COUNCIL WHO HAS BEEN DISCUSSING IT FOR THE PAST YEAR
AND A HALF OR SO AND MORE RECENTLY IT REACHED THE SCHOOL
COMMITTEE LEVEL.
>> AND THIS IS SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO YOU.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR INVOLVEMENT IN THIS?
>> I BECAME REALLY INVOLVED AT THE END OF LAST YEAR.
THERE'S A SIGN-UP SHEET IN THE FRONT OFFICE ASKING FOR STUDENTS
WHO WERE INTERESTED IN DISCUSSING THE SCHOOL MASCOT,
AND SO ME AND GRACE AND SOME OTHER KIDS IN MY CLASS MET
PROBABLY LIKE TWO TIMES BEFORE THE YEAR ENDED JUST TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT A PATH THAT WE'RE GOING TO TAKE IN THE FOLLOWING
YEAR SURROUNDING THE ISSUE.
>> OKAY.
SO GRACE, THIS HAS ALREADY BEEN MOVED OFF, LIKE, THE SPORTS
UNIFORM IF I'M CORRECT IN THIS, YES, SO WHY IS IT NECESSARY --
IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S TWO MAJOR IMAGES THAT ARE STILL UP IN THE
SCHOOL.
WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO TAKE THEM DOWN.
>> BECAUSE THE IMAGES PER PESSIMISMEAT AN -- PERPETUATES
AN IDEA OF INDIANS WHICH DOESN'T FOCUS ON THE NATIVE AMERICANS
THAT LIVED IN THIS AREA AND WHO LIVE THERE NOW AND IT'S LIKE OUR
JOB TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT SPREADING THAT IMAGE AND THAT
IDEA TO THE PEOPLE WHO COME THROUGH OUR SCHOOL AND WE'RE NOT
INTERNALIZING THE IDEA OF, LIKE, WHO NATIVE AMERICANS ARE.
>> IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR EDUCATION, THOUGH, BECAUSE I
KNOW ONE OF THE ALUMNI WHO I THINK GIFTED THAT IMAGE TO THE
SCHOOL HAD SUGGESTED MAYBE UPDATING THE IMAGE.
IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SOMETHING LIKE THAT AS OPPOSED
TO REMOVING IT?
>> I DON'T THINK SO BECAUSE THE IMAGE THAT STANDS THERE NOW
ISN'T IS AN OFFENSIVE IMAGE WHICH MANY NATIVE AMERICANS HAVE
STOOD UP AND SAID TO US IT'S NOT OKAY FOR THAT TO BE UP AND TO
HAVE A DIFFERENT IMAGE WOULD BE OKAY AND SOMETHING THAT'S MORE
ACCURATE BUT AT THE MOMENT YOU CAN'T -- THERE'S NOT A WAY TO
CHANGE THE CURRENT IMAGE TO MAKE IT CORRECT.
>> OKAY.
AND MAI, HOW ARE OTHER STUDENTS FEELING ABOUT THIS?
>> IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT IS NECESSARILY DISCUSSED DURING OUR
SCHOOL DAY VERY OFTEN.
BUT THERE ARE A GOOD NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO WOULD NOT LIKE THE
MUELLER TO COME DOWN -- MURAL TO COME DOWN.
A LOT OF OUR STUDENTS WHO HAVE PARENTS WHO ARE ALUMNI FROM OUR
SCHOOL AND SO IT'S VERY CLEAR THERE'S A NARRATIVE THEY'RE
HEARING -- >> THERE'S BOTH SIDES OF THE
STORY SO WHAT THE HIGH SCHOOL IS REFLECTING IS PROBABLY WHAT THE
COMMUNITY IS FEELING.
THERE'S, OF COURSE, PROBABLY PEOPLE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE
ISSUE.
WHEN THIS HAPPENED IN TURNERS FALLS THERE WAS QUITE A BIT OF
CONTROVERSY IN THAT COMMUNITY AS WELL.
ARE YOU FEELING LIKE YOU'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO NAVIGATE
THROUGH ALL OF THAT AS THE CHANGE COMES?
>> SO THERE'S A GREAT DEAL OF PASSION ON BOTH SIDES OF THE
TOPIC, AND ON ONE SIDE THERE'S A LOT OF PASSIONS AROUND THE
TRADITIONS OF THE SCHOOL IN ASSOCIATING SCHOOL PRIDE WITH
THE IMAGERY AND ON THE OTHER SIDE THERE'S JUST A SENSITIVITY
TOWARD THE NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND THAT THEY'RE NOT
STUCK IN TIME, BACK IN THE 1800s BUT THAT THEY ARE ALIVE AND WELL
AND THAT WE SHOULD REFLECT WHO THEY REALLY ARE TODAY.
SO I THINK THAT WE'RE TRYING TO LEARN WHAT HAPPENED IN OUR
NEIGHBORS AT TURNERS FALLS AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE FELT WOULD
BE IMPORTANT WOULD BE TO MOVE FAIRLY QUICKLY THROUGH THE
PROCESS AND NOT ALLOW THE SITUATION TO FESTER SO SCHOOL
COMMITTEE IS PREPARING TO MAKE A DECISION AT THEIR MAY SCHOOL
COMMITTEE MEETING.
>> WHY NOT REMOVE THE NAME WARRIORS?
>> WELL, I THINK TO BRING YOU UP TO SPEED ON WHERE WE ARE WITH
THIS.
THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE THE OTHER NIGHT TALKED ABOUT OTHER THINGS.
THE IMAGERY, THE WARRIOR NAME AS WELL AS MOHAWK TRAIL ITSELF SO I
THINK THOSE 3 THINGS WILL BE DISCUSSED IN MAY.
THE NAME MOHAWK, I DON'T THINK THERE WAS SO MUCH ENERGY AROUND
BUT I DO THINK BOTH THE IMAGERY AND THE NAME WARRIOR ARE GOING
TO BE PRETTY HOTLY DEBATED AND A DECISION IS GOING TO BE MADE
WHETHER OR NOT TO CONTINUE WITH BOTH OF THOSE.
>> YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE I KNOW WHO WOULD BE OPPOSED TO THIS
IDEA WOULD SAY, LISTEN, THIS IS JUST POLITICAL CORRECTNESS AND
THAT'S ALL IT IS AND THAT'S THE WAY THE NATION IS MOVING AND
THEY'RE UPSET BY THAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S YOUR RESPONSE?
>> WELL, I THINK WE HAVE A GREAT DEAL OF RESPECT FOR TRADITION
AND WE HAVE A GREAT DEAL RESPECT FOR PEOPLE AND WHO THEY ARE AND
THEIR IDENTITIES AND WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO THEM.
THIS IS -- FROM MY PERSPECTIVE THIS IS A TREMENDOUS LEARNING
OPPORTUNITY AND WHAT I'M HOPING FOR THAT COMES OUT OF THIS IF WE
ARE TO REMOVE THE MURAL IN THE JIM NAYSIAM, I -- GYMNASIUM AND
WHAT I IMAGINE LIKE STUDENTS TO MY LEFT SITTING DOWN WITH
STUDENTS OF YEARS GONE BY AS WELL AS NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLES
AND HOW DO WE DO THIS THAT GIVES DIGNITY TO EVERYBODY IN THE
PROCESS AND THIS IS NOT JUST FOR THE REPLACEMENT WHAT'S ON THE
WALL NOW BUT FOR THE CURRICULUM GOING FORWARD.
WE'RE HOPING TO DEVELOP A COURSE THAT'S GOING TO BE VERY SPECIFIC
ABOUT NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY IN OUR AREA, WHICH WILL DEVELOP A
CHANCE RELATIONS WITH THE MOHAWK PEOPLE AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AND
TO ME THAT'S THE REAL EXCITING LEARNING OPPORTUNITY DOWNLOAD
THE ROAD.
>> WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE MASCOT IMAGERY AND I GUESS I COULD
BRING UP MAI, FIGHTING IRISH, IT'S A LEPRECHAUN FOR IRISH
AMERICANS THEY MIGHT BE OFFENDED BY THAT.
AT WHAT POINT DO YOU STOP TRYING TO CHANGE THE NAMES OF MASCOTS.
COWBOYS COULD BE VIEWED AS SEXIST, YOU KNOW, AT WHAT POINT
DOES THE ISSUE KIND OF STOP?
>> I THINK THAT WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW CAN BE VIEWED AS THE
MOST RELEVANT WITH THE NATIVE AMERICAN MASCOTS BECAUSE OF THE
RACIST STEREOTYPES THAT IT DOES PERPETUATE.
SO ASKING WHERE IS THE STOPPING POINT -- I DON'T KNOW --
>> NO, THAT'S KIND OF A BIG QUESTION AT 17.
WHERE'S THE STOPPING POINT THE MOST IMMEDIATE THING IS YOUR
COMMUNITY.
>> ADDRESSING WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT.
HAVE YOU LEARNED ANYTHING FROM THESE DISCUSSIONS, YOU KNOW,
EVEN FROM HERE WHO DISAGREE WITH YOU.
HAVE YOU COME TO A POINT, WELL, I NEVER CONSIDERED THAT.
HAS THIS BEEN A NICE LEARNING PROCESS FOR YOU?
>> YEAH, DEFINITELY I'VE LEARNED SO MUCH THROUGH ALL THE MEETINGS
WE'VE HAD, FROM BOTH PEOPLE WHO AGREE AND DISAGREE WITH WHAT
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AND LEARNING ABOUT WHY PEOPLE ARE SO
CONNECTED TO THIS ISSUE AND WHY PEOPLE FIND IT OFFENSIVE AND THE
RAMIFICATIONS OF HAVING THIS IMAGERY AND THIS WORDING IN OUR
SCHOOL.
>> I KNOW BOTH OF YOU ARE GOING OFF TO COLLEGE IN THE FALL WHICH
IS VERY EXCITING.
HOW HAS THE PROCESS BEEN FOR YOU.
I KNOW GRACE HAS LEARNED A LOT BUT HOW HAS IT BEEN FOR YOU.
>> IT'S BEEN EYE-OPENING.
I GREW UP IN ASHEVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, WHICH IS A FAIRLY
PROGRESSIVE AND VERY LIBERAL TOWN AND SO I KIND OF JUST
IMAGINED LIKE THE REST OF THE HILL TOINS -- OH, IT'S SO COOL
TO LIVE IN SUCH A PROGRESSIVE PLACE AND THEN THIS WAS KIND OF
EYE-OPENING AND SEEING HOW DIVERSE OUR COMMUNITY REALLY IS
AND HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT THESE TOPICS AND IT WAS KIND OF
SURPRISING BUT ALSO TO HEAR THE DIFFERENT IDEAS ON THE OTHER
SIDE OF THE ARGUMENT BECAUSE IT WAS THE IDEA THAT THIS IS A
GIFT.
IT'S TRADITION.
THIS IS SOMETHING WE SHOULD RESPECT BUT ALSO PEOPLE WHO FELT
VERY STRONGLY ABOUT KEEPING HISTORY ALIVE AND USING THE TERM
WHITE WASHING A LOT AND SO I THOUGHT IT WAS VERY INTERESTING
HEARING THOSE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES IN HEARING THAT
THERE'S NOT JUST ONE ARGUMENT.
>> THAT THERE'S MANY ARGUMENTS.
>> I'M HOPING THAT THIS EXPERIENCE HAS GIVEN THE
STUDENTS A SENSE OF AGENCY.
THEY CAN CHANGE THE WORLD AROUND THEM IF THEY HAVE THE COURAGE TO
STAND UP AND COMMUNICATE THEIR PERSPECTIVE.
>> OPPONENTS OF THE LOGO CHANGE HAVE CIRCULATED AN ONLINE
PETITION WHICH HAS GARNERED NEARLY 2500 SIGNATURES.