The mascot of North Quincy High School is the Yakoo, an offensive caricature that stereotypes Native American culture. The Yakoo came to be when Dr. Allan Yacubian attended NQHS. It was created in 1957 when a fellow student drew the caricature of him as part of a contest for a new mascot. Ironically, Dr. Yacubian is of Armenian descent. Dr. Yacubian has been a longtime booster of school programs and a great contributor for college scholarships for Quincy students. 

We want to remove the Yakoo from North Quincy because of its racial implications. The removal of the Yakoo is not meant to take from away the significance of Dr. Yacubian's contributions but rather to bring light and awareness to the harmful racial stereotypes American culture has long associated with Native Americans. It is hypocritical of QPS officials to say that they have been listening to concerns brought on social media about racism in our school systems and wanting to move forward with positive change when they refused to remove the Yakoo, a strong representation of racist and harmful stereotypes.

In order to build a safe, supportive, and inclusive school community that promotes respect, diversity, and equality, it is important that we reflect on how the Yakoo continues to be an ignorant and hurtful representation of the Quincy Public Schools community. We need to move forward for positive change rather than blindly hold onto harmful "traditions."