Iowa House Dems Introduce Bill to Remove Native American Mascots

Four Iowa Democrats introduced a bill to phase out Native American mascots in Iowa public and private schools by 2024, which one Indigenous organization said is long overdue.

HF 2224 was introduced by Molly Donahue (D-Cedar Rapids), Brian Meyer (D-Des Moines), Art Staed (Cedar Rapids), and Mary Wolfe (D-Clinton). The bill would prohibit schools from having or adopting a name, symbol, or image that depicts or refers to a Native American tribe, individual, custom, or tradition to be used as a mascot, nickname, logo, letterhead, or team name of the school.

Trisha Ertinger, operations director for the Great Plains Action Society, said her organization is in full support of HF 2224. The Great Plains Action Society is an Indigenous organization that tackles climate and social justice issues.

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Ertinger, who is an enrolled member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska and Iowa, said when Iowa implemented its ban on critical race theory last year—HF 802—Native American mascots should have automatically been removed.

“If Iowa’s public education system is solely focused on teaching math, reading, and other subjects alike, then there should be no room for cultural appropriation of a race of people,” Etringer said.

Multiple sections of HF 802 appear to back Etringer’s argument. One section states: “That any individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of that individual’s race or sex.”

“Research has proven how harmful Native mascots, names, logos, and teams are,” Etringer said. “Personally, I never needed any research to validate how disrespected I felt after seeing other people dance around, chant, and dress up in an old-age Hollywood depiction of Native Americans.”

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Were HF 2224 to become law, schools would have until Jan. 1, 2024, to comply. No action has been taken on the bill since it was introduced Feb. 2.

According to the Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa (Meskwaki Nation), there are 66 schools in Iowa that still use Native American mascots.

The Mason City School District recently decided to end its use of the Mohawk nickname, a measure its school board stood by even after pressure from counter-protestors. Etringer and members of the Great Plains Action Society attended those meetings.

“Nothing brought more joy to my heart than seeing and being a part of history,” she said. “I feel that it is time to remove ALL Native American imagery, mascots, names, and all things alike so that our Indigenous youth can live and reside in Iowa without the fear of being mocked or falsely portrayed.

“Our Indigenous relatives are lawyers, doctors, scientists, artists, public elected officials… one thing we are NOT are mascots, logos, and teams.”

by Ty Rushing
2/07/21

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