For more information on the subject of Native mascots visit:

https://www.apa.org/pi/oema/resources/indian-mascots

http://www.nomorenativemascots.org/ 

https://illuminatives.org/change-the-name/

https://www.changethemascot.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Native-Nations-Unite-to-Speak-Out-Against-Racially-Offensive-Mascot-Name.pdf

http://www.ncai.org/policy-issues/community-and-culture/anti-defamation-mascots

http://www.nomorenativemascots.org/2020/07/10/1500-native-leaders-organizations-tribal-members-and-allies-send-letter-to-commissioner-of-the-nfl-roger-goodell-to-demand-dan-snyder-complete-a-100-rebrand-of-the-washington-team/

https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1948550619898556  

https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2020.1772221 

Please share & remember to treat each other with kindness and respect. We're hoping that this effort can be carried forward with love and compassion in both intent and execution. And after you have signed, if you can (recognizing that times are difficult and not everyone can participate in this way), please donate money to one or more groups that directly support the health, safety, and well-being of BIPOC.

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We’re writing to urge the Granite City School District to remove all racist depictions of Native Americans from both Granite City High School & Coolidge Junior High School properties (including buildings, uniforms, and online materials). These racist depictions include the Warriors and Braves mascots, arrowheads, caricatured paintings and statues of Native American men, and all other demeaning graphic and textual representations used in the branding of these schools. The Warrior mascot and the Braves mascot are not acceptable representations of our school district or our community. 

We are writing this in the wake of the latest wave of police brutality against people of color across this country. As we’ve witnessed the horrific murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Elijah McClain, and many others, we’ve been called to reflect on how our country got to this point, and why state-sanctioned violence against people of color is allowed to continue and flourish well into the 21st century. 

For far too long, we have been complicit in allowing racist institutions and symbols of hate to stand. We’ve been complicit because our education did not teach us to challenge white supremacist narratives. False narratives such as: “The Civil War was about states' rights, not slavery,” or “There are no Native Americans in Illinois anymore.”  These narratives center the feelings of white Americans over the experiences, histories, and well-being of BIPOC.

Native American mascots turn the rich and complex identities, lived experiences, and cultures of Indigenous peoples into caricature. When ideas like these go unchallenged, we cause direct harm to Indigenous people and we aid white supremacist culture. Racism in our educational institutions does a great disservice to all of us and causes direct and measurable harm to students of color both in our community and across the country. 

Our community is built on the site of the great Cahokia civilization and on land stolen from the Illini Confederation by the Illinois and United States governments. The forceful removal of Native people from this land was an act of genocide and should not be celebrated. 

We’re writing this as the Navajo Nation continues to combat the one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks that our country has seen so far. The severity of this outbreak is a direct result of water shortages, chronic health conditions, and intergenerational trauma - all inflicted by the federal government. The COVID-19 pandemic poses enhanced risks to many other Indigenous peoples for these same reasons. 

We are writing this as many Indigenous leaders continue to work hard to remove Native mascots across the country. 

These symbols normalize ignorance of the histories and experiences of people of color. These symbols normalize complicity in state-sanctioned racist violence. These symbols harm students of color and communicate that we don’t care about their well-being. 

We’re writing this out of love and concern. Because we do care about these students, and we care about the community. We want to hold ourselves accountable and commit to racial justice. 

Our status quo is not good enough. Therefore, we would like to invite you to join us in the work of unveiling, understanding, and addressing racism in our community. Please join us in this commitment to accountability. 

Take the first step with us by removing the mascots, and with them, the tolerance of hate and racism we have allowed to flourish.