Long Island school district emerges as battleground for Trump's efforts to preserve Native American sports symbols
In a small Long Island hamlet, the quiet town of Massapequa has found itself at the centre of a political storm. The Massapequa School District is actively challenging New York State's 2023 ban on Native American-themed mascots, seeking to retain its "Chiefs" mascot despite the state Board of Regents' directive to remove such imagery by June 2025 or face loss of state funding.
The school district's fight to preserve the mascot has found unexpected allies in former President Donald Trump and his Education Secretary Linda McMahon. McMahon visited Massapequa in May to announce that the Department of Education's investigation found that the New York Department of Education had violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with its Native American mascot ban.
McMahon compared Indigenous mascots to team names like the Vikings, Fighting Irish, and the Cowboys, arguing that New York's ban unfairly singled out Native Americans. Trump, too, has publicly supported the district, describing the forced name change as "ridiculous" and an "affront to our great Indian population."
The Trump administration has renewed commitments to assist Massapequa and other affected districts, with plans to investigate the matter further within the Department of Education. The district is now a key "battleground," said Oliver Roberts, a Massapequa alum and the lawyer representing the school board in its fresh lawsuit against New York, claiming that the ban is unconstitutional and discriminatory.
The legal battle is ongoing with the state enforcing the ban, the courts supporting that ban, and the Massapequa district backed by the Trump administration actively resisting compliance and seeking federal intervention to preserve the mascot.
The Native American Guardians Association (NAGA), an organization that claims to represent "everyday American Indian families who feel pride seeing our names and faces honored," has also joined the fray. NAGA, which boasts over 84,000 members, has a sole issue of lobbying for the preservation of Native mascots with an "educate, not eradicate" motto.
NAGA often cites two studies, a 2004 National Annenberg Election Survey and a 2016 Washington Post poll, to support the claim that roughly 90% of American Indians support the Redskins name. However, a more recent 2020 study from academics at the University of Michigan and the University of California, Berkeley, found that roughly half of the participants were offended by the Redskins' name, and 57% who strongly identify with being Native American were deeply insulted by caricatures of Native American culture.
Despite the controversy, the Massapequa Chiefs logo is expected to still be prominently displayed when the fall sports season kicks off. Oriskany, another district that unveiled a new mascot after facing similar pressure, spent around $50,000 on the rebranding process.
As the legal battle unfolds, it raises questions about the balance between tradition, community identity, and cultural sensitivity in the modern world.
[1] New York Times: Massapequa School District Challenges Native American Mascot Ban [2] CNN: Trump Administration Supports Massapequa's Fight Against New York's Native American Mascot Ban [3] ABC News: Massapequa School District Fights to Keep Native American Mascot [4] Fox News: Trump Weighs in on Massapequa's Native American Mascot Controversy
- The politics surrounding the Massapequa School District's struggle to retain its Native American-themed mascot has gained prominence in the realm of education-and-self-development and general-news, with the Trump administration offering support and the legal battle continuing.
- In the world of sports, the Massapequa Chiefs are expected to keep their logo as the fall sports season approaches, sparking debates about balancing tradition, community identity, and cultural sensitivity.
