After this year, no Michigan school will have a Native American mascot.
That’s largely due to the work of the Native American Heritage Fund which is run in part by the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi.
Since 2018, the fund has provided resources and guidance to more than a dozen schools to remove and replace offensive mascots.
Dorie Rios leads the fund and is the chairwoman of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi. She says in the past, state and federal funding have only been able to go so far, and that's why the fund stepped in.
"It has been a long journey, sometimes not so positive, but we, as Indigenous people, we wanted to come to the table and provide a solution ."
Both Okemos Public Schools and the Lansing School District worked with the fund to rebrand mascots.
Rios says they will continue to provide money to districts looking to enhance their curriculum about Indigenous history and culture in Michigan.
"To make sure not only that the Indigenous story is the proper Indigenous story is included in the curriculum, but that it's also told by the Indigenous communities," Rios said.
Grant money has also been used in the past to enhance signage around culturally relevant Indigenous sites.
Rios says there are plans to connect with Indigenous groups nationwide to help schools in other states remove and replace Native American mascots.
"There are a great number of mascots still remaining across the United States and major sports teams," she said.
"If we get the word out, get the education out, and have those conversations, we believe change is on the way."
