In light of the current national dialogue surrounding racial injustice, diversity, equity, and inclusion, it is time for Cheyenne Mountain High School to take accountability and reopen a discussion about the removal and replacement of the "Indian” as its mascot.

CMHS's “Indian” mascot is a harmful reminder of the oppression and marginalization of Native Americans that exists today. It is a dehumanization of culture in an academic setting where students of all backgrounds should feel worthy and safe. We need to unite together to end the racial discrimination scarring our community by removing a symbol that trivializes indigenous people, their personhood, their cultures, and the trauma they’ve endured at the hand of colonialism and white supremacy. 

The continued use of the word "Indian" is generally considered offensive by non-Native people to describe indigenous people and ignores the fact that it is an archaic label that fails to represent the diversity, history, culture and language of the 567 federally recognized nations across the United States. 

The Cheyenne Mountain High School mascot is a blatant display of racism. The mascot represents a Native American person at a high school that is more than 80% white. Students have been known to engage in appropriation of traditional garments and wear headdresses and sometimes do a “tomahawk chop” to cheer on the school’s sports teams at games.

Please sign this petition and demand that Cheyenne Mountain High School's administration confront the violent history that the mascot represents. Email boe@cmsd12.org and push for the school to be on the right side of history and join the social movement taking place in our country right now.

~Sincerely, 

Amiya Peddada, 2018 graduate of Cheyenne Mountain High School (apeddada@trinity.edu)

Resources:

In 2015, Adidas launched the “Mascot Change” initiative, which is a voluntary program for high schools that “would give schools access to the company’s design team for logo redesign and uniform design across all sports.” This is a grant-funded initiative that requires a simple proposal from a school district to instigate change at little monetary and temporal cost. 

It’s time for Cheyenne Mountain High School to change its mascot

Summary of the APA Resolution Recommending Retirement of American Indian Mascots

The Deep History—and Troubling Impact—of Sports Teams Using Native American Mascots

What We Want to Be Called: Indigenous Peoples' Perspectives on Racial and Ethnic Identity Labels