Opposition of American Indian Mascots - Summary

Native American Indians mark 1968 as the beginning of a movement to eliminate the use of their sacred images, symbols, and cultural and religious traditions by sports teams. The negative stereotypes projected by American Indian team names, logos, caricatures, rituals and mascots are a misappropriation; they portray inaccurate or cartoon-ish characterizations that perpetuate racist terms.

As of March 2002, over 600 teams had abandoned such practices. Unfortunately, more than 3,700 institutions still used them. In Kentucky, there were 37 schools that used these images as their mascots.

KCCJ applauds those that have changed their names, mascots, symbols and rituals, and calls for the elimination of such practices. There is no justification for the continued diminishing of Native American Indians through this and any form of bias, bigotry and racism.

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