Will Illinois Make School Districts Remove Indian Mascots?

In a state named after Indian fighters, it is ironic that the state legislature is voting on forcing high schools around the state to cast aside their native American mascots and names.

From the U.S. Department of Interior on Indian Affairs,

"ILLINOIS: From the Illini Indian word meaning "men" or "warriors,” supplemented by the French adjective ending "ois..”"

Illinois House Bill 1237

House Bill 1237 would make schools remove native names, logos and mascots starting in 2026. This is a different bill from HB 3527 that would ban mascot names focusing on “discriminatory disabilities”. Rep. Maurice West is House sponsor fro both bills.

Related: Will the Midgets be Erased by the State of Illinois

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Magnanimously the state would allow for the schools who currently have native American mascots, logos and mascots to keep their current team uniforms until at the latest, 2030. So as not to put too much on the school district financially to replace everything at once.

Over 50 Illinois High Schools could be affected

This legislation would affect more than fifty high schools in the state including: The Pittsfield Saukees, Payson-Seymour Indians, Collinsville Kahoks, Cahokia Comanches and Granite City Warriors just to name a few downstate schools.

Illinois HighSchool Mascots by County
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There is a provision within the bill that would allow a school to keep its native American name/logo/mascot if a federally recognized tribe grants permission to the school to continue using the name and images, subject to renewal every five years.

Similar legislation was filed in 2020

This type of legislation isn’t new, it’s just the latest attempt at forcing schools to remove the Indian iconography that has been attached to high schools across the state for generations. The bill has passed the house and now moves to the senate.