"I congratulate them on making the right decision," he said. Rake said that the school and the district are composed of great people who didn't intend to dishonor the Native American who make up the tribes in Arizona. If a Native American feels disrespected, I would respect their feelings." If the board is really interested in addressing racism, I'm sure there are other areas needing their attention. It was fine when I attended Thunderbird and still OK today. "As long as the mascot was not a cartoon. "'Chief' to me is a person of prestige within the Native American culture. "I understand in today's climate some decisions are made on impulse," Bacchus said. Thunderbird alum Kevin Bacchus, who has three sons who played baseball at his alma mater, said he felt the the oard didn't listen to the community. "I am sure they didn’t perceive as offensive but they were not Native Americans."īefore Wednesday's vote, one of the governing board members said she did not hear from one Native American who supported the mascot. "If you asked a student, teacher or administrator what the Chief symbol meant, you would not get an answer," he said. Shameful."įor years, Rake said he tried to find out why the Chiefs' logo remained at the school. "Today, one-third of the Navajo Nation is without water or power. "It was inconceivable to me that a school could emblazon a cartoon figure of a Native American and ignore the long-term suffering they have been subjected to," Rake said. Rake said his boys basketball team created its own symbol to the extent that he was able to have it appear on the players' uniforms, shirts and basketball gear. He said his teams went by the Thunderbirds, or the T-Squad. The NFL's Kansas City Chiefs franchise has used the nickname since 1963.
The issue has drawn attention to other teams, at high school, college and professional levels, that use Native American nicknames. The team has yet to adopt a new nickname, opting to go with "Washington Football Team'' and no logo until a new one is selected. Rake said Native Americans are owed respect.Įarlier this summer, the NFL's Washington Redskins did away with their nickname after years of controversy. Native Americans were treated as slaves, massacred, tortured, and starved to death.' " A Native American should not be portrayed as a mascot.
A few comments I recall that were pertinent were, 'We display a Native American wearing a headdress but there are no tribes in Arizona who wear headdresses. "I spoke with a Native American kid who was on my team, Native Americans who lived in Arizona, and the medicine man for the Hopi tribe, who was a client. "When I started there 32 years ago, the Thunderbird mascot was a student who ran around in a caricature costume of a Native American," Rake said. Thunderbird boys basketball coach Buddy Rake, a Valley attorney, said he has refused to recognize the mascot for his teams the past 20 years.
Thunderbird, located near 19th Avenue and Thunderbird Road in Phoenix, has been part of the GUHSD since the school opened in 1972. "School districts as far back as the 1980s have been changing the names of their mascots to be considerate of other cultures.” In reality, this decision comes after many years of discussion by many different stakeholders, and we are not the first school district or organization in the nation to consider this change,'' said Governing Board President, Pam Reicks, in a statement issued by the district. “The decision to place this on the agenda was not made overnight. "With the meetings being held in person only, and given the current situation with COVID, there are some concerns that ample time and effort wasn’t given to allow all community members and students to voice their concerns and opinions."ĭistrict officials, in a statement released Thursday, said the next step will involve forming a committee to establish a process for selecting a new mascot.
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