The German athletic shoe and apparel maker says it will offer free design resources to schools looking to shelve Native American mascots, nicknames, imagery or symbolism. The company also pledges to provide financial support to ensure the cost of changing is not prohibitive.
Last week, Northwest Catholic High School is unveiling its new mascot, the Lion.
Officials at the high school said it will no longer use the name Indians.
The change comes after many took offense to the use of the schools Native American images and connotations.
Students at West Hartford’s public high schools have also responded to calls for change. Conard and Hall High Schools started classes this fall with new imagery.
Conard Chieftain’s new logo is a “C” on a shield. The Hall Warriors new logo is an “H” and a “W” on a shield.
Hall High School had dropped its Indian head logo but continued to use Indian connotations; however, Conard hadn’t dropped its Native American logo.
After many school meetings and community forums school board members decided in the spring to discontinue the use of all Native American mascots and imagery, though the schools could still keep their names, Conard Chieftains and Hall Warriors.
Adidas announced the initiative in conjunction with the White House Tribal Nations Conference Thursday in Washington, D.C.
The company, which has its North American headquarters in Portland, Oregon, also said it will be a founding member of a coalition tasked with addressing Native mascots in sports.