UCLA students watched the California Senate Education Committee
approve the California Racial Mascot Act early Wednesday morning as
the students prepared for a day of meetings and rallies meant to
erase ignorance about the American Indian community.
Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg (D-Los Angeles) authored the bill
““ also known as the California Racial Mascot Act ““
which calls for an end to the term “Redskins” in the
team names and mascots of all California public schools.
Students and local community activists from all over California
met in Sacramento for a Day of Action.
Marked by the passage of the bill, the day consisted of meetings
between activists and senators in an attempt to raise
awareness.
The offensive nature of the term has spurred many, including
second-year UCLA law student Anita Garcia, to fight a legal battle
meant to end the use of the name in California public schools.
“The reason I decided to come is because I think
it’s terrible to use public funding to support a racist
mascot,” Garcia said.
Many American Indians say they feel “Redskins” is
the most offensive and demeaning term that can be used to refer to
them, said Curtis Notsinneh, a staffer in Goldberg’s
office.
“Redskins” possesses many connotations, including a
historical context mired in the systematic killing of American
Indians by the United States, Notsinneh said.
The government offered bounties for the scalps of American
Indians in the early 20th century. The derogatory label
“Redskins” derived from the bright-red color of the
scalps after the blood rushed to them, Notsinneh added.
Many students at the schools who use the term have been
misguided as to why the term is so insulting, Garcia said.
Schools using American Indian terms in their mascot names often
adopt American Indian regalia in their football games, uniforms and
pep rallies, Garcia said.
The misunderstanding results in the perpetuation of the term and
a warped view of many other American Indian symbols.
“It’s very disrespectful to me and it’s the
same as if a school were using pictures of Jesus Christ on their
football uniforms.” Garcia added.
The goal of Wednesday’s gathering was to dispel the rumors
and stereotypes of the American Indian community and to provide
senators with tribal opinions on the issue.
“The ultimate goal is the passage of the bill, but we also
want to provide as much information as possible,” said
Juliana Serrano, an organizer for Wednesday’s activities.
Local groups have been petitioning school boards and city
councils for over 40 years with little success, Serrano said.
Many of the students who attend these schools say they feel
proud of their school’s history and their mascots, and the
permanence makes change difficult.
“It hasn’t worked well at the local level because
often times there are very few American Indian people in the
communities. … It’s a situation where they’re
outnumbered,” Serrano added.
In some instances, tribal members who have attempted to address
the situation in their local communities faced insults and
condemnation from the schools.
“It’s difficult to speak up because they get
demonized as hate mongers and get harassed by school board
members,” Garcia said.
Supporters of the bill say they are excited about the approval
from the Senate Education Committee and hope the state Senate will
pass the bill in the near future, said Notsinneh.