Trump team now working to save Native American mascots from schools that were told to remove them
The Trump administration is pushing to retain a Native American mascot at a New York school that had been banned by state regulators, triggering strong reactions from activists.
Last week, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights accused the Connetquot Central School District on Long Island of violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. It argued that the district changed its mascot from the Thunderbirds to the T-Birds “solely because it originates from Native American symbolism.”
But the district was only abiding by state rules. In 2022, New York state’s education department prohibited public schools from using Native American logos, mascots or team names without the express approval of a recognized tribe, noting that such references could be seen as demeaning or offensive.
As a result, the OCR determined in May that the rule violated Title VI, reasoning that it imposed race-based classifications in education policy since mascots referencing other groups — such as the “Dutchman” or the “Huguenots”— remained permitted.
“We expect the District to do the right thing and comply with our resolution agreement to voluntarily resolve its civil rights violation and restore the Thunderbirds’ rightful name,” the OCR said in a January 22 news release. “The Trump Administration will not relent in ensuring that every community is treated equally under the law.”
A spokesperson for the district did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent.
Meanwhile, JP O’Hare, a spokesman for the state’s education department, accused the federal government of making a “mockery” of civil rights law.
“USDOE has offered no explanation as to whose civil rights were violated by changing a team name from Thunderbirds to T-birds,” O’Hare said in a statement. “NYSED remains committed to ending the use of harmful, outdated, and offensive depictions of Indigenous people.”
The order from the Education Department, run by Secretary Linda McMahon, sparked disparate reactions from Native Americans.
John Kane, a Mohawk activist who advocated for the 2022 New York rule, described the situation to The Hill as “absurd.”
“Part of what McMahon and Trump are suggesting is that somehow they are discriminating against Native people by removing the mascots — when we’re the ones who called for it,” Kane said. But, he noted that changing the mascot from “Thunderbirds” to “T-Birds” was inconsequential. “I mean, it’s the same damn thing,” he said, adding, “it’s a mockery.”
It’s not the first time the Trump administration has become involved in the issue. Last year, it sided with the Massapequa School District in New York after it pushed back against the new state rule, according to The Hill.
The Education Department referred the issue to the Department of Justice for a potential Title VI violation, and it remains under investigation.
“Forcing them to change the name, after all of these years, is ridiculous and, in actuality, an affront to our great Indian population,” the Republican president wrote on social media at the time. “The School Board, and virtually everyone in the area, are demanding the name be kept.”
