As of this week, schools in Wisconsin using race-based mascots can be fined up to $1,000 a day. This law has been a long time coming, the first form of it was presented to the state over 30 years ago. The way the law works is that parties can submit complaints to the state, and after a hearing, if the school is found to be in violation, they can face fines of up to $1,000 per day if they continue to use the image and name.
This is awesome news, and I can only hope that this is signaling a change that many other states will follow! Yay Wisconsin!
Read the whole article here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127987743
AK Programming note: I thought this was a fitting time to talk about Wisconsin, since I'm actually at the airport, en route to Wisconsin. I'm headed to Lawrence University, which is hosting College Horizons, an incredible program for Native high school students to learn about the college application process. I'm an alum of the program, and this is my third time returning as faculty. If you know of any Native high schoolers, encourage them to apply for next summer! They also host a graduate school version called Graduate Horizons for those of you a bit older. Seriously one of the best programs for Native students out there.
(Thanks Mom and Katie for sending the article!)