A Pennsylvania State Representative considers many mascots derogatory and believes they carry negative social impacts.
Rep. Chris Rabb of Philadelphia is introducing legislation to ban schools and sports teams from referring to indigenous culture.
“For far too long, indigenous peoples have faced discrimination, disrespect, and violence,” Rabb says in a memo. “Our commonwealth must not remain complicit in the perpetuation of derogatory, bigoted, and harmful practices which encourage bullying and other forms of abuse. Therefore, eliminating the use of offensive stereotypes for school mascots is the least we can do to begin mending the damage done by the appalling historical oppression of these groups.”
More than 60 schools in Pennsylvania have mascots that reflect native American imagery.
Rabb adds that “many public schools and sports teams across Pennsylvania use or refer to indigenous culture in their mascots and logos, and social science research has shown that derogatory mascots have a negative psychological and social impact on people with indigenous heritage.”
In recent years’ major sports teams with Native American related mascots have changed their names including the Washington Redskins to Washington Football Team and Cleveland Indians to Cleveland Guardians.