Around New England

No More Indian Mascots If Maine Democrats Get Their Way

April 2, 2019

A legislative committee in Maine has voted 7-5 to recommend banning American Indian mascots in Maine public schools, on party lines.

A Democratic supporter of the ban called it “a civil rights issue” while Republican opponents said they support local control, according to the Bangor Daily News.

The bill goes to the full Maine House of Representatives, and if it passes there, to the Maine Senate. Both chambers are controlled by Democrats, and the governor is a Democrat.

On March 7, the school board in Skowhegan voted to get rid of “Indians” as the high school’s nickname, after nearly 100 years of sports teams at the school calling themselves Indians.