TPS Indian Education Parent Committee parents petition for school mascot changes

In a letter obtained by the Tulsa World that was sent to both the board of education and Superintendent Deborah Gist, the district’s Title VI Indian Education Parent Committee is requesting the district change the mascots at Central and Webster middle and high schools from the Braves and Warriors, respectively.

“The time is long passed for the removal of Native American imagery and mascot use at Central High School and Daniel Webster High School,” the letter states. “As TPS board members, administration and school leadership, please educate yourselves if you are unaware of the psychologically detrimental effects of Native American mascots and imagery on Native students and how these mascots undermine intergroup relations by increasing negative stereotyping of Native Americans.”

Along with student and faculty representatives, the committee is comprised of parents of TPS’ Indigenous students. TPS and other districts who receive federal funding for their Indian Education programs through Title VI of the Every Student Succeeds Act are required to have a parent committee and consult with its members on programming and how those dollars are spent.

According to 2020-2021 enrollment figures from the Oklahoma State Department of Education, American Indian and Alaska Native students account for about 5% of TPS’ enrollment. That figure does not include Indigenous students who self-identify as biracial, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.

A citizen of the Choctaw Nation, Scott Merrill is the TPS Indian Education Parent Committee’s current chairman. He and the other parents who co-signed the letter acknowledged that alumni of the two schools may be attached to their alma maters’ mascots, but are hopeful that those communities would be willing to listen to the parent committee’s concerns.

“People grew up with Warriors, Chiefs, Indians and so on as their school’s mascots,” Merrill said. “There’s history and emotion tied to that, even if they don’t get that’s harmful.

“There are going to be people who dig in, really don’t want that part of their history changed. I think like was with the case at Union, once they understand where we are coming from, they will hopefully come around.”

Union Public Schools previously shared a mascot with the now Washington Football Team. Its board of education voted unanimously in November to retire it after a review was conducted by an ad hoc committee of alumni, students, parents, district employees, community members, that district’s Indian Education Parent Committee and non-voting representatives from the Cherokee and Muscogee nations.

A replacement has not yet been announced.

According to data published Aug. 4 by the National Congress of American Indians, 1,867 schools nationwide still use Indigenous mascots. In 2005, the American Psychological Association formally called for their immediate retirement on the grounds that they foster culturally abusive behavior and often create a hostile, unwelcome learning environment for Indigenous students that “affirms negative images/stereotypes that are promoted in mainstream society.”

Merrill said the mascot issue is not a new concern for the parent committee members, but they were not in a position to act on it until recently.

“We’ve seen TPS going in the right direction regarding school names with a focus on equity and diversity,” he said, noting the August 2020 addition of a marquee at Sequoyah Elementary School that incorporates the Cherokee syllabary. “We want to see that extended to the Native community as well because we really haven’t seen that yet.”

Through a spokeswoman, the principals at both Central and Webster deferred comment to board President Stacey Woolley.

In a written statement, Woolley said the board of education has created an ad hoc committee to review the district’s use of mascots. The three-member group includes Woolley, Shawna Keller and Jennettie Marshall. Central’s campus is within Marshall’s board district. Woolley, who is Indigenous, represents the entire Webster feeder pattern, plus two elementary schools within the Central feeder pattern.

“Community voices play an integral role in both guiding and implementing board decisions that affect our Native American students and families,” Woolley said. “We are interested in hearing more from our Indian Education Parent Committee as they discuss this topic and we look forward to engaging with students, parents, members of the community and tribal leaders on any further recommendations or actions.”

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