Organization eliminates Native American mascots from schools

(CBS DETROIT) - The Native American Heritage Fund says it has worked to remove offensive mascots in Michigan by the end of the year.

"At the beginning, we had 15 offensive mascots, and we've been able to. As of this last funding cycle, eradicate all 15," said Tribal Council Chairwoman Dorie Rios. "Most of the time, we didn't have to reach out to those communities and say, you know, 'Let's rethink this mascot.' It was actually the student body for the majority of those, you know, I think they saw that it wasn't done right."

That was the case for Plymouth High School.

"Two separate groups of students came forward to our Board of Education, and they brought proposals to consider the change of the mascot," said Monica Merritt, superintendent for Plymouth Canton Community Schools.

Plymouth High School is now officially the Cobras. Merritt said there was some pushback against changing the mascot from alumni.

"Not surprisingly, there was strong support still for keeping the Chiefs name but through our discussions, the outreach board really urged us to listen to tribal leaders, to professional organizations," Merritt said.

The district applied for and was awarded a grant through the Native American Heritage Fund, which covered more than half of the about $200,000 cost to change logos, athletic apparel, and signage.

Now that the mascots have been changed, Rios says the fund's focus will shift towards more education, including Native American lessons in the curriculum and tackling small projects all across Michigan.