Proposal Aims To Help Nebraska Schools Drop Native American Nicknames

Public schools in Nebraska that drop Native American mascots could get up to $200-thousand dollars to make the change if a bill is approved in the Legislature.

L-B 1027 is sponsored by State Senator Megan Hunt of Omaha, who says the grant money from the Department of Education would help schools cover the costs of replacing the mascots, which could involve such items as new uniforms or changing emblems on a court or scoreboard.

Right now there are 22 schools across the state of Nebraska that use Native American mascots or nicknames.

Millard South High School changed its mascot from Indians to Patriots in 2000, and UNO became one of the first colleges in the country to make a nickname and mascot change, going from Indians to Mavericks in the early '70's.

That was not long after Nebraska Omaha joined the University of Nebraska system and changed its name from Omaha University.

(Picture from Getty Images)


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