Hello,

Tonight at the School Board meeting, the Caldwell/West Caldwell Board of Education announced their decision to not change the Caldwell 'Chiefs' mascot or name. I wanted to inform all of you as soon as we knew.

The Board made a one-sentence announcement with no further explanation. When asked by a member of the Caldwell Town Council why the Board would choose to retain the name and logo in light of scientific findings from the American Psychological Association, the National Congress of American Indians, the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, and the American Counseling Association that indigenous mascots are harmful for the mental health of Native American students and other minorities, the Board stated that they did not agree with the scientific studies or the statements cited, and they did not believe that the James Caldwell High School mascot was offensive or racist. The Board also stated that they had more important things to worry about.

While this decision was incredibly disappointing to learn, we want all of you to know that the fight does not end here. The Board's actions tonight showed us how urgent our movement is, especially for the sake of all students of color within the Caldwell/West Caldwell school district. Now more than ever, we urge you to contact the Board of Education, whether by email or by phone and express that they must change the mascot. We will have more action steps and information in the coming weeks, but we wanted to inform all of you as soon as we could. Thanks so much for your continued commitment in this fight. We must continue.

Sam Mulick of Change the Chiefs