Credit: Courtesy of Dahkota Brown

Dahkota Brown, center, with Mari Levi, left, president of the American Indian/Alaskan Native Educational activity caucus for the California Teachers Association, and Marty Meeden, board fellow member of the CTA.

Credit: Courtesy of Dahkota Brown

Dahkota Chocolate-brown, eye, with Mari Levi, left, president of the American Indian/Alaskan Native Educational activity caucus for the California Teachers Association, and Marty Meeden, board member of the CTA.

Home to the largest number of American Indians in the state, California is now the beginning state in the nation to ban the use of "Redskins" as a school squad proper name or mascot.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed the ban into law on Lord's day, mark a victory in a more than l-year national campaign past Native Americans to remove race-based team names from schools and sports groups. Many Native Americans and school climate advocates consider "Redskins" a racial slur.

The successful passage of Assembly Bill 30, known as the California Racial Mascots Human activity, was the third legislative attempt to eliminate "Redskins" every bit a schoolhouse team name and mascot in California. Earlier efforts in 2002 and 2003 were unsuccessful.

"I hope anybody tin move forrard positively and select a new mascot, inclusive of all students to represent their campus community," said Dahkota Kicking Bear Brown, a Miwok Indian and a junior at Argonaut High School.

But Brown vetoed legislation that would prohibit using the names of Confederate leaders on public buildings and roads in California. In a message vetoing Senate Bill 539, authored by land Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, Brown said the matter was "an outcome quintessentially for local determination makers."

In California, proponents of the "Redskins" school mascot ban have cited a peer-reviewed report by researchers at the Academy of Arizona, Stanford University and the Academy of Michigan that found American Indian youth who were exposed to Native American mascots and stereotypical imagery reported a diminished sense of what they could achieve academically.

In 2013-fourteen, there were 38,616 students identified every bit American Indian enrolled in California's public schools, according to an Assembly analysis of the measure.

Just 4 California schools continue to employ "Redskins" as a team proper name and mascot: Calaveras High School in Calaveras County, Chowchilla Union High School in Madera County, Gustine High Schoolhouse in Merced County and Tulare Union High Schoolhouse in Tulare County.

Those schools must select a new team name, mascot or nickname by Jan. 1, 2017, according to the law, which was authored past state Assemblyman Luis Alejo, D-Salinas.

Simply the constabulary does not require that schools immediately remove "Redskins" images or words on uniforms, gymnasium floors and walls, football stands and yearbook covers. Teams can continue to use the uniforms for as long every bit they last. Schools are not required to remove existing signs or fixtures by a certain date. The borderline is described in the constabulary as "no later on than the next fourth dimension the associated part of the facility is replaced in the normal course of maintenance."

What changes is the power of schools to purchase or create new "Redskins" gear. That ends January. 1, 2022 for signs, yearbook covers, paper logos, program illustrations and, for the most role, squad or ring uniforms. The exception is that until Jan. 1, 2019, schools may buy new "Redskins" uniforms, in an amount equal to 20 percent of the full number of uniforms used by a team or a band in 2016-17, for the purpose of replacing a team's damaged or lost uniforms.

"In my mind, some of those things nosotros're not going to touch for a very long time, similar our gym wood flooring," said Ron Seals, superintendent of the Chowchilla Union Loftier School Commune, who is in favor of keeping the "Redskins" team name. A mosaic made out of one-inch tiles portrays the head of an Indian and is on display on the north end of the football bleachers, a gift of the course of 1963, he said.

"I'm 3rd-generation Redskin," he said. "2 of my three children take graduated from here and this is my 25th year at the school. I've never had anybody complain to me about the Redskin mascot."

Only Eric Stegman, an expert in Native American policy at the Middle for American Progress, a Washington, D.C.-based nonpartisan policy institute, and co-writer of a written report about the touch of Native American mascots on American Indian youth, said the discussion about mascots often neglects to include the voice of Native American youth.

"All too often the fence is a lot of non-Native people talking to a lot of non-Native people about how they call back Native people feel," he said. "They just don't have a place in this debate."

The research is strong, he said, that Native American mascots contribute to "a hostile schoolhouse environs."

During legislative fence, Dahkota Boot Behave Dark-brown, a Miwok Indian and a junior at Argonaut High School in Jackson, in Amador County, told the Assembly Education Commission that as a sophomore lineman for the Argonaut football squad, he dreaded game mean solar day confronting the Calaveras High School "Redskins." The day included state of war cries from fans, sports announcers announcing "a wild party of Redskins!" and fifty-fifty his own friends shouting "Impale the Redskins! Transport them on the Trail of Tears!" he said.

He recalled his cousin crying after a football during which a female student dressed up as "Pocahottie" while other students pretended to prepare to burn her at the stake.

He said he didn't arraign students, school or staff and felt they did not know that their words and deportment caused harm.

Word that the bill had been signed into law came as he was touring Dartmouth College. He said he was "ecstatic."

The law, he said, creates "an opportunity for Native youth to obtain an education gratuitous from mockery."

"I hope everyone can move forward positively and select a new mascot, inclusive of all students to stand for their campus community," he said.

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