California’s push for “inclusion” offered no room for a high school’s century-old tradition as legislation went into effect, eliminating the mascot.
(Video Credit: CBS News Sacramento)
While leftists talk a big game about diversity and equity, it’s been well-documented that their idea of inclusion is little more than carefully crafted discrimination. Now students, alumni, and staff associated with Marysville High School are facing the potential loss of their longtime Indian mascot because of a law expanded by California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).
In September 2024, AB 3074, otherwise known as the California Racial Mascot Act, amended the Education Code to prohibit government-run schools from using “any derogatory Native American term, as defined, as a school or athletic team name, mascot, or nickname” save those operated or offered consent by Indian tribes or tribal organizations.
Ahead of the law taking effect on July 1, Marysville Joint Unified School District Superintendent Jordan Reeves issued a statement that read in part, “The Marysville Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees recognizes the deep history and tradition associated with the Indians mascot and acknowledges the strong connection many alumni, students, staff, and community members have to it.”
He contended that the administration’s efforts to get consent proved unsuccessful as “Tribal representatives chose to remain neutral regarding the district’s request, neither supporting nor opposing the continued use of the mascot.”
Despite that, Reeves intends to continue seeking permission and expressed that there are no plans “to select a replacement mascot.”
Speaking with The Appeal-Democrat, Marysville High School track and field coach Marcy Tarr, herself a former student at the school, said, “I do remember the Indian Way and how it was built (with) respect and (to) hold your head high. Indians were good leaders.”
Likewise, former athletic director David Chiono told the outlet, “We try to model the school around the (Native American) culture,” adding, “We want to celebrate the Indian mascot and live up to the way they live their lives.”
Marysville is neither alone in facing a state-mandated mascot removal nor is the current round of cancelation the first time residents of the once-Golden State took umbrage with a school symbol.
In 2023, it was reported that locals in the San Francisco Bay Area took up a cause against the Concord High School Minuteman mascot. The American Revolutionary War figure went on to be nixed in favor of a bear.
Calif. residents fight to save high school’s Minuteman mascot from woke mob: ‘We are losing our heritage’https://t.co/1b1gTFy6hx
— American Wire News (@americanwire_) April 28, 2023
As for the current mascot scrub, Newsom said at the time of the signing of a number of bills related to Indians on what he proclaimed Native American Day, “I’m proud of the progress California has made to reckon with the dark chapters of our past, and we’re committed to continuing this important work to promote equity, inclusion and accountability for Native peoples. As we celebrate the many tribal communities in California today, we recommit to working with tribal partners to better address their unique needs and strengthen California for all.”
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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