With legislation proposing to change the process of petitioning against race-based mascots, nicknames and logos in the hands of Gov. Scott Walker, all 15 Senate Democrats sent a public letter to Walker calling for a veto of the bill.
The open letter to Walker said the legislators hope to use this opportunity to respect the wishes of Native American tribes instead of letting the legislation pass into law in Wisconsin.
“Education should be used to increase understanding of diversity, not divisiveness,” the letter said. “Let’s genuinely honor Native Americans by respecting their request to eliminate use of mascots that they feel do not honor them or their culture.”
Under the bill, the process of objecting to a school’s use of a race-based nickname, logo, mascot or team name would now require the signatures of at least 10 percent of the school district’s members within 120 days of the complaint being filed.
According to the American Indian Cultural Support website, 45 schools in Wisconsin use Native American racial mascots.
According to reporting from Wisconsin Public Radio, Walker spoke with various Wisconsin tribes last week, but has yet to decide his plans for the bill.
Sen. Mark Miller, D-Monona, said people of European descent do not understand how terms used to refer to Native Americans are insulting.
“It’s not up to us to decide what is insulting. It’s up to the tribes, the people whose symbols are being used, to make that determination,” Miller said.
Shiela Reaves, University of Wisconsin American Indian studies professor, said in an email to The Badger Herald that if one person “charges racism,” a petition should not be necessary.
The letter said schoolchildren will have difficulty learning accurate information about Wisconsin’s tribes if stereotypes of American Indians are propagated throughout their schools.
“Extensive research has shown that the harm extends to other minority groups and indeed to all students, as all are learning to tolerate stereotyping along racial lines,” the letter said.
Reaves said American Indians often get mixed messages about their culture from seeing parts of it used in sport contests.
“Native kids and students don’t recognize the chants, dances or war hoops as part of their distinct, traditional cultures,” Reaves said. “It’s a mockery, not an ‘honor,’ and young people get hurtful mixed messages. We, in the mainstream culture, can ignore these hurtful visual stereotypes, but Native students cannot.”
Some schools have already made efforts to change mascots in order to be more respectful to the wishes of tribes and have been successful in doing so, such as Marquette University, Miller added.
Walker will have until Nov. 18 to sign the bill into law or veto it.
Calls to Walker’s office were not returned.
