Mills signs bill to make Maine the first state to ban Native American school mascots
Source: Bangor Daily News
Gov. Janet Mills on Thursday signed into law a controversial bill banning the use of Native American mascots in all state public schools.
When the bill takes effect later this year, Maine will become the first U.S. state with such a ban.
Surrounded by members of Maine’s tribal communities Thursday afternoon, roughly two months after the Skowhegan school board voted to end its use of the state’s last remaining “Indians” nickname at its local high school, the Democratic governor signed the bill barring any public school or university from using Native American mascots, names and imagery.
After hours of inflamed debate earlier in the session, the Legislature voted last month largely along party lines to support the proposal from Rep. Benjamin Collings, D-Portland. The bill, though it applies statewide, was aimed at Skowhegan, where residents have argued for years about whether to keep or get rid of its Native American mascot and nickname. The school board’s March decision would not prevent the district from holding a non-binding referendum to restore both, though that’s no longer possible under the new law.
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