ROSS TOWNSHIP, PA — A community organization is calling on the North Hills School District to drop the Indians nickname for its sports teams.
The North Hills Progressives, a political action committee established three years ago to advance progressive candidates and positions, has established an online page calling for the nickname change.
The Change the Mascot page urges parents to contact their children's coaches and them the children will not have anything that has the mascot - including the name - on it.
"Stand up for change," the page advises.
It also calls for people to email district administrators and school board members, and people to urge school directors to make the change at the board's next meeting on Dec. 3.
The North Hills Progressive also have paid for a billboard on Babcock Boulevard advocating a new nickname. It features a photo of a Native American girl in a school setting and the words "I AM NOT YOUR MASCOT."
This is not the first time controversy has been sparked in the district regarding the nickname. In a compromise move in 2022, school directors voted to retire its Indian chief logo but keep the Indians name for its sports teams.
In Western Pennsylvania, among the districts with Indians nicknames are Peters Township, Penn Hills and West Allegheny.
Two professional sports teams have gotten rid of Native American monikers this decade. In 2021, the Cleveland Indians changed their nickname to the Guardians; the Washington Redskins became the Washington Commanders in 2022 after playing two seasons as the Washington Football Team.
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