IOWA, USA — The Iowa Department of Human Rights has sent out a letter to Governor Kim Reynolds calling on the 66 K-12 schools in Iowa to retire mascots that use Native American Imagery or symbols.
Within the letter sent to the governor, the Iowa Commission on Native American Affairs states:
"The use of Native symbols and likenesses is inarguably degrading and hurtful to Native people, who are forced to see themselves reduced to mere caricatures and see their cultures co-opted for purposes divorced from Native self-determination."
The letter also speaks about the Psychological studies done on the effects on Native's s seeing their culture being minimized to a caricature as well as, watching it being displayed in school mascots in a way that doesn't represent their culture.
"There are all kinds of harm reduction and harm mitigation steps that schools and school systems undertake on a daily basis," said Commissioner Patrick Bigspy. "And so that's I've, as someone observing those educational systems, I'm seeing that happen. I'm seeing funds being dedicated to reducing that harm. And this is just more... more work in that same thing."
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