Trump Weighs in on Ban of Native American Mascots by NY State Education Department
President Trump who as attacked Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies in public education had thrown his support behind an effort by a Long Island, NY school district’s battle to keep their mascots after the State Education Department banned Native American mascots and imagery.
If the schools don’t comply, they risk losing state funding.
This is part of a decades-long effort by school boards and the NCAA to eliminate the Native American mascots they perceive as offensive even if there haven’t been any complaints from the locals community or Native Americans about the use of the names.
For Massapequa High School the sports teams are known as the Chiefs which is meant to honor one of Long Island’s original 13 tribes and not to mock or defame Native Americans.
Trump took to Truth Social to weigh in on the matter writing, “Forcing them to change the name, after all of these years, is ridiculous and in actuality, an affront to our great Indian population.”
The Massapequa School Board issued a statement in appreciation of Trump’s support of their efforts to retain the long-held name;
“The Massapequa community has been working hard to preserve our identity and protect local decision-making. We are honored that President Trump has recognized our efforts and brought national attention to our cause. His support is a powerful affirmation of what we’re fighting for. We’re deeply grateful for the incredible support from our community and the continued backing of local leaders and NAGA (Native American Guardians Association), who have stood with us throughout this fight to preserve our community’s identity, traditions, First Amendment rights and value in honoring Native Americans.”
During my high school years I was a proud Indian. I took the mascot as a sign of strength and not of mockery but that was before political correctness took hold of education. Now the school which had been closed for a number of years after declining enrollment are now the Gladiators. It’s an okay name but I’ll always be an Indian.
Don Irvine
Donald Irvine is the chairman of of Accuracy in Academia (AIA), a non-profit research group reporting on bias in education. Irvine follows his father’s legacy, Reed Irvine, to critically analyze the liberal media’s bias and brings over thirty years of media analysis experience. He has published countless blog posts and articles on media bias, in context of current events, and he has been interviewed by many news media outlets during his professional career. He currently hosts a livestream weekly show on AIA’s Facebook page which discusses current events.
Irvine graduated from the University of Maryland and rose up the ranks to become chairman of Accuracy in Media until his transition to AIA.
He resides in the suburbs around the nation’s capital and is a proud father and grandfather.
