THE INSPIRATION: As a freshman at Bountiful High in Utah, Lemiley Lane was excited to attend her first pep assembly. But that excitement turned to sadness and anger when a white student dressed as the school’s mascot, “The Brave Man,” ran across the stage and started dancing. The student was wearing a plastic feather headdress as part of his costume. Lemiley, who had grown up in the Navajo Nation in Arizona and just recently moved to Bountiful, had been raised to believe feathers are sacred. “Headdress feathers are a symbol of bravery and honor. They’re not just something you can buy online. You earn each feather,” says Lemiley, who’s now a junior. Seeing one of her classmates wearing a feather headdress without understanding its significance upset her. “I left the auditorium and never went to another assembly,” she says.
THE ACTION: Lemiley talked to her mom about how hard it was being one of very few Native American students in a school where the hallways were filled with stereotypical images of her culture. She felt proud of her Navajo heritage but worried that the images in her school were examples of cultural appropriation (see “What Is Cultural Appropriation?”).
At the same time, many professional and college sports teams were changing mascots, logos, and names that depicted Native Americans in stereotypical ways. Lemiley knew that if professional sports teams could embrace the change, her school could too.
THE OUTCOME: In November, Bountiful High’s principal announced that the school would change its team name and mascot. Lemiley was so happy that she cried. “We made history,” she says.
At press time, the school was counting votes for the new mascot. Once a mascot is chosen, the school will get new team uniforms, design new signage, and start new traditions. Lemiley can’t wait to put on a softball uniform with her new mascot on it, and to be part of the first class to graduate with the new name. “This will show other students how to change things for the better,” she says.