It may have been the minority opinion, but it was that minority members of the Plymouth Canton Community Schools Board of Education voted to protect last week.
A student-led effort to retire the current mascot and logo at Canton High School was approved by a 6-1 vote of board members during a regular meeting last week. The decision follows nearly two years of discussion. The board decision follows two requests from student groups who claimed the chief mascot and arrowhead logo were disrespectful and insulting to Native Americans. Students first made the request in 2021 and the same issue was brought to the board by a second group this year. Months of discussion regarding the issue prompted the empaneling of a citizens advisory committee to research the issue before making a recommendation regarding the proposed change.
As part of the committee research, a community survey was conducted which included 6,206 responses, officials noted. Of those, 56.6 were opposed to the change and 27 percent were in favor of eliminating both the name and the logo. Others were undecided or had no opinion, according to officials. Despite the majority opinion, members of the citizens committee recommended the change which was criticized by the large audience at the recent meeting of the board.
Some who opposed the change claimed to be of Native American heritage and said the name and the logo was not offensive or demeaning to their culture. Several individuals opposing the change spoke to the board members during the meeting, to applause from the assembled audience.
Others, however, supported the change. One graduate of Salem High School who was in favor of the change said that as a Native American, he had been subjected to racism while a student in the district. He said it was difficult to attend classes at Canton High School and walk beneath the arrowhead logo.
The majority of opinion, however, was shared by Trustee Sheryl Picard who cast the only no vote on the motion to change the mascot and logo. She said she felt the board members should listen to the members of the public who spoke out against the change at recent board meetings.
School board treasurer Patrick Kehoe responded that it was the minority he was paying attention to. He said those who feel the logo and mascot were unacceptable were not well served by the district in maintaining the symbols.
He said he understood the concern of alumni who would remain Chiefs, but that he was looking toward the generations of the future and those who find the logo and mascot unacceptable and offensive. “Those are the ones I think it is important for us to honor in this process and make sure we choose something that is not offensive.”
Superintendent of Schools Monica Merritt who supported the change explained that the community survey was not designed or planned as the deciding factor in the decision but was a component of the research process. The board members referred to a resolution of the Michigan State Board of Education that, “strongly recommend[ed] the elimination of American Indian mascots, nicknames, logos, fight songs, insignias, antics, and team descriptors by all Michigan schools.”
The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is also strongly opposed to “the use of 'Native American' sports mascots, logos, or symbols” and contend they perpetuate “stereotypes of American Indians that are very harmful.”
A new mascot and logo will be chosen by students at Canton High School during the 2023-24 school year, maintaining the red and white colors, Merritt said, and the district will apply for grants to fund the transition.
