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Massachusetts school votes to replace Native American mascot
December 22, 2020 GMT
NORTH BROOKFIELD, Mass. (AP) A Massachusetts school committee has voted unanimously to retire a Native American name and mascot that has represented the high school since 1960.
Superintendent Richard Lind recommended that the North Brookfield committee members vote to retire the “Indians” name, mascot and logo Monday, the Telegram & Gazette reported.
Lind said that it is his job to create a safe environment and these symbols do not allow him to do that.
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“(The symbols are) distorting the history and culture of Native American people,” Lind said. He added that allowing children to see the symbols condoned is harmful.
NORTH BROOKFIELD By unanimous vote of the School Committee Monday night, North Brookfield became the latest community to shed the Native American mascot that has been the high school s symbol since 1960.
Committee members have been mulling the move for some time and last month listened as Native Americans told them the mascot was inaccurate and hurtful and after a half-century of asking communities to do away with the images of their people, it is time for a change.
The School Committee heard personal stories of how the mascots impacted Native Americans and those who spoke pointed to how the depictions perpetuate stereotypes, invoke negative sentiments about Native Americans and don t accurately represent Native American history.
Updated on December 18, 2020 at 11:25 am
NBC Universal, Inc.
For the first time, more than half of Massachusetts communities, 187, are considered at the highest risk for transmitting the new coronavirus, according to the latest weekly community-level data on the pandemic.
The new total overtakes last week s record of 158 towns and cities in the report s red zone last week, which was itself a massive 61-community increase over the week before. The numbers, from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, have been increasing steadily for weeks, as have coronavirus case numbers, amid a new surge in coronavirus cases. (See this week s full red zone list below.)
Updated on December 4, 2020 at 5:05 pm
NBC Universal, Inc.
There are now 97 communities considered at the highest risk for transmitting the new coronavirus in Massachusetts, according to the latest weekly community-level data on the pandemic.
It s an increase of 16 from the 81 towns and cities in the report s red zone last week the numbers have steadily been increasing for weeks. (See this week s full red zone list below.)
Seventeen communities will have to move back to Phase 3, Step 1 of Massachusetts reopening plan, based on the data in this week s report.
The weekly data, from the Department of Public Health, includes a breakdown of the total number of coronavirus cases in each Massachusetts city and town, transmission rates, data on clusters and more.