Hi all,

I wanted to update all of you on two important developments in our movement! Today we were contacted by Caldwell resident Jonathan Hawk, who is of Choctaw descent. He provided the following statement:

"I am thankful to the peoples of Caldwell who have given serious consideration to this issue. I have received many comments, even from persons who are passionate about keeping the mascot. While we agreed to disagree about the topic, it should be said that all have been civil and courteous and thoughtful in exploring these issues. As one of only a few indigenous people living in this town, it is good to know that this is part of an educative process and by in large, people have embraced it, thoughtfully. Lastly, please be reminded, community, we are real people, we are not mascots. Think of your heritage as represented by some shallow understanding of who you are. If it is not known, that image could shape the perceptions of our children. Please do not dehumanize our culture and teach 'shallow history'.  Our peoples have contributed greatly to the history of this country. Honor us by leaving our representation in images, to our own. Yakoke laua (many thanks)."

Additionally, we created a link that automatically generates an email from your email account to the Caldwell/West Caldwell Board of Education, urging them to change the mascot. We encourage you to use this link and directly contact the BOE as much as possible: https://www.drove.com/campaign/5f1b61d4f0a21b000121d495

Thank you so much for your continued support. Please keep sharing the petition as much as you can. The fight continues!

Sam Mulick