Michigan donated $480,000 to 10 schools this year to help them “rebrand racially insensitive mascots” and add more Native American culture to their curriculum.
In 2003, the Michigan State Board of Education adopted The resolution supported the elimination of “Native American depictions and mascots by all Michigan schools,” MLive reported.
The committee found that the use of these themes “adversely impacts the educational outcomes of Native American students.”
By 2013, the Michigan Department of Civil Rights filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights, which “issued an order prohibiting the continued use of Native American mascots, names, nicknames, slogans, chants, and/or images.” I asked.
The Native American Heritage Fund (NAHF) According to the foundation, the Tribal Nation Gaming Agreement between the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi (NHBP) and the state government was signed in 2016. Website.
The amendment would direct state funds to NAHF, with $500,000 being deposited in fiscal year 2016.
“For each future fiscal period, funds will be deposited with NAHF to replace the amounts used during the previous fiscal period and the balance of $500,000 will be restored,” NAHF officials explained.
This year, $480,000 in NAHF funds will go to Michigan K-12 schools to correct issues such as Native American imagery used in mascots and a lack of cultural “recognition,” according to MLive. of was spent in several public schools and private universities.
The schools and school districts that received donations are:
Albion College — $35,000 to develop a co-management plan for culturally appropriate exhibits and venues at the White House Nature Center.
Camden Frontier School — $105,061.20 to rebrand the current mascot from the “R-word” and rebrand signage, flooring, athletic facilities and apparel with the new “RedHawks” mascot image.
East Jordan Public Schools — Nbwaachiwedaa miinwaa Kinomaagedaa: $12,570 to implement the Visit and Learn program. This grant is in addition to the NAHF grant that East Jordan Public Schools received in 2021, and NAHF will continue to work with the school to support ongoing change.
Gladstone Area Schools — $18,575.05 to maintain and protect Native American statues that have been in the park since 1988 and to implement education and community engagement initiatives.
Grand Ledge Public Schools – $3,200 to create a culturally appropriate Anishinabe history lesson for third graders.
Grand Valley State University — $63,467.20 to support GVSU's Native and Indigenous students and expand awareness of Anishinaabe culture across campus.
Okemos Public Schools — $8,000 to develop inquiry-based Michigan history lessons for all third graders in the district that focus on the Anishinaabe people and their impact on the Okemos community. This grant is in addition to the NAHF grant received in 2021.
Plymouth-Canton Community Schools — $145,894.40 to replace Canton High School's “Chiefs” mascot with a new “Cobras” mascot.
Port Huron Area School District — $86,052.24 in lieu of mascots for Michigan Elementary School and Roosevelt Elementary and High School. This grant is in addition to the NAHF grants received in 2023 as NAHF continues to work with and support schools that are making a difference.
Suttons Bay Public School — $6,600 to further develop the cultural curriculum. This is in addition to the NAHF grants received in 2020 and 2018.
The “R word” MLive was referring to is the “Redskins,” the former mascot of Camden Frontier School.
This brings the total number of organizations receiving funding from NAHF since 2018 to 60.
“One of NAHF's top priorities was to address the 15 offensive (high school) mascots in our state,” Tribal Council Chairwoman Dolly Rios told Michigan media, adding that He explained that many of the characters and names that were problematic were adopted by schools that thought they had adopted the problematic characters and names. It was a tribute to the indigenous people.
“how [you] Do you respect that you don't have that conversation or relationship with that Indigenous community? ” she asked.
“Ultimately our goal is to take this nationwide,” Rios added. “There is a desire from other tribes to participate.”
