FARMINGTON, Conn. — Farmington High School has voted to change their mascot from the Indians to the River Hawks.
The school took to Twitter to reveal its new River Hawks logo.
Officials said several design options were submitted by students and community artists.
In North Haven, residents have also requested that the public school district select a new non-native mascot.
According to the North Haven Equity Coalition, the school board was presented the matter several times, which prompted many athletics uniforms in North Haven to be altered to read “Indians” or simply “NH” without the image of a Native American Chief.
"At this time of great awareness of systemic racism and racial injustice in America, the North Haven Equity Coalition implores the North Haven Board of Education to act, and act decisively to, once and for all, eliminate the Indians name and image from all official North Haven paraphernalia, and choose a new non-Native mascot," the group wrote in a release.
First Nations in Connecticut, including the Mashantucket Pequot, Golden Hill Paugussett, Mohegan tribes also provided written testimony to the North Haven Board of Education, against the use of Native mascots, including "Indians."
"The tribe believes it is time to end the use of American Indian mascots and team names. While the stated intent may be to ‘honor’ American Indians, there is a great potential for less than respectful behaviors to occur in conjunction with these mascots," Mohegan Chief Lynn Malerba said. "Additionally, people should not be considered mascots. It is demeaning to be relegated to a stereotyping of a people. This should not be allowed to continue."
The North Haven Board of Education is holding a virtual meeting Thursday at 6:30 p.m. to discuss and vote on the retirement of the NHPS Indians Mascot image or caricature.
The meeting will be live-streamed by NHTV.
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