Should sports teams have Native American mascots? The debate surrounding this question has lasted for decades. Supporters argue that these mascots honor American Indian tribes, while opponents argue that these mascots stereotype and dehumanize Native peoples. I’m staunchly in the latter camp, which is why I was thrilled to hear that the state of Wisconsin has passed a law meant to “eliminate race-based nicknames, logos and mascots,” USA Today reported.

The law, the first of its kind in the country, allows the public to file complaints against race-based mascots and the like with school districts. Afterwards, the state determines whether or not the mascot in question is discriminatory. If a school district has permission from a tribe to use its name as a mascot, for example, it can argue that such a mascot isn’t racially offensive.

On Oct. 8, the Kewaunee School District in the Green Bay area dropped the name “Indians” after a retired teacher named Marsha Beggs Brown complained about the moniker used by the district since 1936. The new district nickname is “Storm.” To date, approximately 30 Wisconsin school districts use Indian names and about 30 have already dropped them. In a year, the Kewaunee School District must remove all signs bearing the “Indians” name from its campuses.

Of course, not everyone in Kewaunee is thrilled about the move, with some residents declaring that “Once an Indian, always an Indian.”

Taylor Holly, a Kewaunee student, told Fox 11 WLUK-TV of the name change, “I thought we honored them. I never thought anything was being disrespectful.”

Many feel the same way, arguing that Indian nicknames are a part of a school’s longstanding tradition and should be upheld. While they assert that they’re honoring Native tribes, members of the American Indian community beg to differ, such as activist Suzan Harjo, who went to court in 1992 to dispute whether NFL team the Washington Redskins had a right to trademark that name. Harjo and a half-dozen other plaintiffs argued that the “Redskins” name violated the Lanham Act of 1946, which bans organizations from using disparaging trademark names. In the end, however, the courts ruled that too much time had passed to file suit, as the NFL team had trademarked the “Redskins” name back in 1967.

So, what’s the harm of such mascots? For one, many are just racist caricatures of Native Americans illustrated with exaggerated facial features and bright red skin. Psychologists such as Jesse Steinfeldt of Indiana University say that these names create a racially hostile environment for students. Think about the young Native Americans in the stands watching as a mascot that’s supposed to represent them engages in buffoonery. All the while, fellow students in the stands do Tomahawk chops and fan their hands over the mouths to imitate the chants they’re told indigenous peoples make. To call such an environment “hostile” is an understatement. At these sporting events, throngs of rowdy sports fans are given free license to act out racial stereotypes en masse. If you’re Native American and in that crowd, you’re powerless to stop having blatant bigotry thrown in your face.

The good news is that over the past 40 years, the number of sports teams using “Indian” nicknames has reportedly dropped from 3,000 to fewer than 1,000. This is thanks in part to the National Collegiate Athletic Association banning Native American nicknames, mascots and imagery in postseason games five years ago. Now Wisconsin is leading the country in purging these names from public school districts. Good riddance, and may other states follow in Wisconsin’s footsteps.

Photo Credit: Sarah Deer