In 1863, a daily newspaper in Minnesota printed an advertisement indicative of its time. “The State reward for dead Indians has been increased to $200 for every red-skin sent to purgatory. This sum is more than the dead bodies of all the Indians east of the Red River are worth.” This was hardly a shocking proclamation. The U.S. government had promoted the extermination and displacement of Indigenous people for decades already.

There should be no need to dwell on the basic facts of this issue: “redskin” may have started as a European description for Native peoples, but has been recognized as a derogatory, harmful slur for more than a century. 

But the Port Clinton Board of Education has continued to insist that its schools represent the name “with respect, pride, and honor.” There is absolutely no honor in perpetuating this hurtful name. Multiple studies have shown that Native American children are negatively impacted by seeing cartoonish depictions of themselves as mascots. More than 30 national Native American organizations and over 40 individual Tribal Governments have spoken out against the use of this mascot by the Washington DC NFL team. This is clearly not an acceptable practice according to the people supposedly being “respected and honored.”   

Professional, college, and high school sports teams across the country are now committing to changing their names. Somewhere, a team will be the last one to change their name. Do not let that be Port Clinton. Do not add more shame to the use of this word.

As alumni, students, teachers, and residents of Port Clinton, we feel it is our responsibility to work towards the removal of this racist mascot. We demand that the mascot be changed.